Eros and Psyche
by Camilla10
Summary: Nessie and Jacob have just married. One day Edward and the Cullens suddenly leave and Bella is lost and alone. A Latin myth will help her to solve the mystery and, like Psyche, find her love again. NOMINATED FOR THE FAITHFUL SHIPPER & SUNFLOWER AWARDS
1. Chapter 1 Gone

**Eros and Psyche by Camilla****10**

A multi-chaptered story to keep you entertained while waiting for the sequel to The Parachutist

Summary

Renesmee and Jacob have just married and Edward and Bella are free to enroll in yet another university, where they plan to follow a course of classical studies. Suddenly Edward leaves and Bella is confused and totally alone. However, she is sure of his love and fears that something terrible might have occurred. It has. Indeed something happened when Carlisle was in Rome in the 17th century and now all the Cullens have to pay for it. A Latin myth opens for Bella the road that might allow for her to rescue them.

Story notes:

I don't own Twilight, Stephenie Meyer does.

This story has been extremely complicated to write, so I have a lot of people to thank. In Italy they were Luisa and Francesco, helping me to brainstorm, the two Giovannis, helping me with Latin and Gianluca, helping me with mythology. Over the Ocean my thanks go to Jshay and Stefanie, both for editing and content discussion. I could not have done this without you.

In Eros and Psyche some characters' POVs will be in the past tense (Bella and Carlisle). Other POVs (Edward and the Hon. Donati) will be written in the present tense. I hope this does not confuse anybody. Please ask me anything.

Chapter 1 - Gone

Bella

"I have to go, Bella."

"What? Where?"

"I cannot say."

"You are leaving me."

"No."

He crushed me in is arms.

"I have to go." He murmured, his mouth on my hair.

"I love you."

And then he was gone.

For a while I was blank. I could try to follow him, but I would not do it. I felt weak, empty. The essence of our relationship was that we were free. Freely I had chosen to be with him for eternity. I would never challenge his freedom to leave.

My cell phone rang. Alice.

"Bella, he loves you, he has not left you. But he had to go. You have to wait until you know what to do."

"Will he be back?"

"I don't know. I hope so. But maybe not. Maybe you'll have to look for him. Be strong."

She hung up. I tried to phone all the other members of the family. Nobody answered. I also tried Edward's cell phone, just in case. Time after time a recorded voice told me that the person I called was unavailable.

I rang the newlyweds and Jacob answered. Apparently all was well with them. I spoke briefly with Renesmee and I decided not to tell her anything. How could I say "Your father has left and our family has disappeared' ?' No, I had no idea of what was happening and I decided to leave them to their unclouded happiness. For the time being they would be so full of each other that they would not notice that something was wrong, unless they tried to call other members of our family. But when you are on your honeymoon you don't do that a lot. Maybe later on I would wake up from this nightmare and there would be no need to alarm my daughter.

I was surprised by how calm I felt now; I had to trust Edward, I had to trust Alice. So what do you do when your entire existence is on hold? Very well, since I was supposed to wait, I could continue what I had come here for. We had enrolled together at Yale and were supposed to follow a course of classical literature. It was a new field for me, chosen exactly because it would be interesting and different. With my total recall I could even master Latin and Greek now. In fact I had already learned some, so that I would be able to read texts in their original languages.

Desperate for distraction, I browsed through the books we had acquired for our course and here it was: the first thing we had to read and discuss. I opened the book. Apuleius, a writer who lived in the second century AD. The story of Cupid and Psyche, or Eros and Psyche, comprised in his novel The Golden Ass, or Metamorphoses.

I read on. This story was about the difficult love between Psyche and Eros, Venus' son. The goddess is jealous of the beauty of mortal princess Psyche, because men are leaving her altars untended, choosing to worship a mere human woman instead. Irate, she commands her son Eros to cause Psyche to fall in love with the ugliest existing creature.

Psyche's parents are told by an oracle to leave their daughter on top of a mountain, where she will meet the monster she is meant to belong to. Venus dispatches her son to pierce her heart with one of his arrows, so that she will love the monster destined to her. Psyche is resigned to her fate, because she knows she has enraged a goddess, so she waits and falls asleep. However Eros, approaching unseen, is so smitten by Psyche that he pierces his own hand with his arrow and then wants her for himself. Therefore he has the wind Zephyr carrying her to his own palace.

Here invisible servants take care of her and a mysterious voice tells her to wait for her master. Eros visits her at night. Son of the goddess of love, he easily seduces her and she falls in love with him. They are deliriously happy but Venus must not know that her son disobeyed her orders. So everything must remain secret. He only comes in the dead of night and she is told that she must never see him, never know who he is.

During the day Psyche feels wretchedly alone, and when he learns of it, Eros sends for her sisters, who are jealous and nasty. With vicious innuendos they cause Psyche to betray the trust of her lover. Afraid that he is indeed the monster predicted by the oracle, she rises from his embrace while he sleeps and lights a lamp in order to see him. If he changes into the monster she fears he is, she will try to kill him, or herself. Of course he is the most beautiful man she has ever seen, but a droplet of hot oil falls from the lamp on his naked chest and he awakens.

Wounded by her lack of trust, Eros leaves her. Desperate, Psyche wanders the earth, looking for her lost love. In her quest she has to overcome all the obstacles Venus challenges her with. She even has to travel to Hades, risking everything, to get from Proserpina a magic box. Curiosity is again her downfall. She opens the box and falls into a sleep that is almost like death.

However Eros has not really left her but, unseen, has followed her during her tribulations, and is now sure that she loves him as he loves her. Therefore he asks Jupiter to convince Venus to relent and cease tormenting Psyche. Jupiter agrees, and she is transported onto Mount Olympus, where she awakens and is fed ambrosia. Thus she also becomes a goddess, so that she can live with Eros for the eternity. A daughter is born to them and they name her _Voluptas,_ or pleasure.

Beautiful story, I reflected, enchanted and momentarily distracted from my anguish. It must have inspired a lot of subsequent fairy tales. Beauty and the Beast comes to mind. It had so many levels. Eros represents the body, the physical aspects of love, Psyche the soul. When they join, love is complete. But it remains a mystery still, enveloped in darkness. If one tries to dispel the darkness, love disappears.

I wanted to know more, and so I went to the computer and googled 'Eros and Psyche'. There was plenty of stuff, part of it relating to art. Statues, one by a famous Italian sculptor, paintings... One marble piece captured my attention. I was not sure of the author, it was a copy of the Canova piece which is at the Louvre museum in Paris, but I was mesmerized by the sensuality it exuded . Eros, wingless, is behind Psyche and her head is abandoned on his right arm, while his left hand cups her breast, and her right hand is reaching for his hair. They are about to kiss….

_I had known how it felt, to be embraced by a marble god. _

Memories of my human life overwhelmed me. They were not lost, but dimmed. Now, however, they were devastating me. I rose from the computer chair, my eyes unfocussed, my mind possessed by a vision. I lay on the sofa of our small house. I had not slept for years, and therefore I could not dream, but I was not really awake either. This vision, this non-dream owned me totally. I was Bella, but I was also Psyche, about to meet her lover in the deepest of night…

_He is meant to shoot his arrow, but she is so beautiful. He will not do what his mother had told him to do. He caresses the arrow till he reaches its point. Forged by Vulcan the arrow will pierce anything, even his skin. Willingly he pricks his hand and he is in love._

_He summons the friendly winds that are often the allies of the gods, and she is magically transported far from the mountain top. She is now in a palace where invisible servants tend to her needs and a disembodied voice tells her to expect her lord in her room that night. So this is her destiny, this is my destiny?_

_In the darkness he is coming to me. He is my marble Eros, my god with the cold skin that sets me ablaze. He is the monster that Psyche is waiting for, the monster that__ will have her and devour her. Icy fingers touch her skin leaving a trail of fire, from brow to mouth, circling the lips that open to them. Then they go lower, past the collar bone till the middle of Psyche's chest, caressing one breast, then the other. And then his mouth is on hers. She smells the scent of his cool breath. No monster has the right to have this scent; no monster's lips can be so sweet. They kiss, his cold tongue in her mouth, kindling more fires, one deep in her belly. But she is not allowed to kiss him back. His mouth does not open for her. _

_He is kissing her __throat now, where her vein is pulsing. His body goes rigid; a growl resonates deeply in the marble chest that is pressing into her own. She feels his teeth grazing her skin. So he IS a monster; is he going to devour her? Time stands still. He has stopped breathing. How is this possible? Then his mouth leaves her throat and wanders down, and so do his hands. Her body feels cherished, but the heat deep below is insufferable, and he must know it, because his cool mouth is now there, passionate, hungry. But it is not enough; the fire inside her is not quenched. She wants more, she needs more. And then she feels his hardness on her core. He never speaks, but his stillness is the question. Moving toward him is her answer. A swift movement, a little pain. He waits again, then tentatively he moves, and she moves with him. Now the darkness is full of colors; all the colors that are in a rainbow and many more. But they are falling together in a furnace that is white, a searing white that engulfs them. _

_Eros and Psyche, the body and the soul__, are now one but they cannot see each other, they do not know each other._

_Night after night he comes for her. In the darkness there is no shame, so she is encouraged and discovers his perfect body. She learns that she can do things that elicit tremors and sounds from him; sounds of pleasure, of passion, but never a word. She will not be able to stand this for too long._

_There is no need of the vicious sisters setting Psyche up, telling her that she has to bring a light to see him for the monster he is, because the light will expose him and dispel the illusion. Thus she will be able to kill him, before he can devour her, piercing his heart. Ridiculous, no knife can kill him anyway. And she does not want to kill him, she wants to know him, she wants to see his face, she wants to hear his voice, she wants to know his mind. Wise women say that it is better not to know whom you love, but she does not believe it._

_One night she sets a lighted lamp in the cabinet that opens to her room and closes its door. During the night, she leaves the bed and goes to the cabinet. She has gone there other nights, to relieve herself, so he does not suspect. Faster than she believed she could be she brings the lamp over him so she can see him. He is the most beautiful man she has ever seen, lying on the bed like a reclining statue. _

_And then, he rises and she starts dying inside. What has she done?_

Non-dream and memory become one when he, finally, speaks.

"I have to go."

"What? Where?"

"I cannot say."

"You are leaving me."

"No."

He crushes Psyche in his arms.

"I have to go. " He murmurs, his mouth on her hair.

"I love you."

And then he is gone.

----------

Chapter endnotes

- Bella's non-dream mixes her memories with Psyche's experience. I have taken a lot of liberties with both, so that both are OOC, and I have intentionally tangled them. You are free to disentangle but, most of all, please, review.

- Since I am using the Latin version of the myth, the correct title should be Cupid and Psyche. However, Cupid makes me think of a winged child-god, with dimples and a tiny bow. The Greek name Eros, on the contrary, is more appropriate for a young but adult god, fit to be an enchanting lover. In Italian they are Amore e Psiche.

-I suggest that you google Cupid and Psyche, to have more details on their charming and sexy story and see how the immortal lovers have been represented in art.


	2. Chapter 2 Yale 201Rome 1686

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla10**

A/N

In the second part of this chapter we will discover what led to the disappearance of Edward and of his family. In order to do this we need to explore Carlisle's distant past.

Chapter 2 - Yale 201--/Rome 1686

Yale 201--

Bella

I sobbed, and sobbed, and sobbed, while the non-dream vanished slowly. When I could not sob anymore I started reflecting. Hard. Was this a message from my subconscious mind, telling me that, like Psyche, now I had to go and look for him? But where? Alice had told me to wait until I knew what to do, and I was clueless. Think, Bella, think! No, no way.

Some days passed. I visited the campus' library, but could find nothing to help me, while I was sure that the strange vision I had was significant.

Eventually the day my classes started arrived. I thought I should go there, living normally until I understood. I just threw on jeans and a casual shirt. No Alice, no Alice anymore to tell me that I still don't know how to dress with elegance. No, I would not cry, I had to trust her. I put together a satchel with my books and a big spiral notebook, a present from Alice before we left to come here.

I crossed the campus toward the building where the lesson was to be held. I took a shortcut behind another hall when I saw it behind a shrub. A mountain lion. But it was …transparent; I could see the bush leaves behind its lithe body. Was this another vision? Was I losing my reason? It moved forward, in the same direction I was going, turned his golden head to look at me, like he was asking if I was following, and then disappeared.

I reached the class room in a daze. It was quite early and there were not many students yet. I chose a seat, hoping that nobody was going to sit near me. I saw that some male students were staring at me, beautiful, pale, different, and intriguing. No Edward to sit with me, showing that I belonged. Better to look busy. I took out my books and my notebook that was still wrapped in plastic. I tore it and opened the notebook on its first page. There was a word written on it in Alice's elegant handwriting:

_**Hecate**_

Rome 1686

Carlisle

I was quite frustrated. I had arrived in Rome with the hope of meeting Doctor Marcello Malpighi; we had exchanged letters in advance and he was supposed to be here, but he was not, having gone back to Bologna following his protector, Cardinal Pier Antonio Pignatelli. Now, if I wanted to meet him, I would have to go North again.

I was very keen on encountering the Italian physician. His studies were breaking new grounds in medicine. A pioneer in the use of the microscope, he had completed Harvey's theory of circulation by his observation of the movement of blood through capillaries. With _De pulmonibus _he had exploredthe structure of the lung.

Progress in the medical field was sorely needed. In the last 60 years, plague epidemics had ravaged Europe with none, myself included, having any clue on how to fight them. So many in my profession were just ignorant boors, and I tried to learn of any progress that could help me to become a better physician.

Well, there was nothing I could do. But, since I was in Rome, I had to confess my curiosity to see the city that my late father defined "a den of iniquity." With over 100,000 inhabitants, placing it among the first five capitals of the known world, Rome had undergone a second renaissance in the last decades. Churches and palaces had been built in the new style called Baroque, with many artists coming to work for the Pope or the Cardinals and a constant flow of pilgrims, travelers and assorted busybodies seeking the favor of the Curia.

I was a guest in the household of Cardinal Salvi-Donati. When I left Volterra for Rome, Aro had given me letters of introduction.

"My dear young one," he had said, as I indeed was young, compared to his millennia of life, "You do not want to go to any inn. Even if our skin in impervious to fleabites, still you would find even the better rooms too dirty for your taste. My friend the Cardinal Salvi-Donati will be happy to extend his hospitality to a friend of mine."

I had accepted, and yet I had a sense of uneasiness. Friendship between a vampire and a man of God? Based on what? Maybe on a shared interest in the arts? Yes, this was possible, in present day Italy, where love of art was paramount within the aristocracy, but still... plus, my parting from Aro had been cordial, but there had been some strain. I would not change my feeding habits, and trying to ignore what was happening in the Volturi castle was becoming increasingly painful for me. So, I had decided to leave, but I knew that Aro had not been pleased. While he was recommending that I seek his friend the Cardinal, I had detected the shadow of a smirk on his face, so subtle to be almost invisible.

My status of guest in the Cardinal's household was on the middle level. I had met him upon arrival, but certainly I was not invited to dine with him and his relatives, which was a relief for me. Meals were served separately to less exalted people, not servants exactly, but secretaries, administrators, lesser clergymen and preceptors for the youngest members of the family, all officially labeled nephews. Obviously, I had excused myself, pretending the willingness to sample instead the many taverns surrounding the palace. Due to the frequent good weather, I often could not go out until sunset, so I spent a lot of time under the courtyard arcades reading, going sightseeing only in the evening. Hunting was a serious problem. In the _campagna_ surrounding the Eternal City, ravaged by malaria, there was game to be found, boars particularly, but once or twice I had to resort to stealing. Many flocks crossed the streets, and a single sheep could easily disappear. A vile food.

Therefore my stay would not be long, but, apart from art and architecture, there was something else that interested me, namely the present Pope. Besides addressing the strife between the Church of Rome and the reformed one with a cautious and enlightened approach, Innocent XI was no less intent on preserving the purity of faith and morals both among the clergy and the faithful. He insisted on a thorough education and an exemplary life for the clergy, he reformed the monasteries of Rome, he passed strict ordinances concerning the modesty of dress among Roman ladies and put an end to the ever increasing passion for gambling by suppressing the gambling houses. Gossip had it that he was going to descend his wrath on some of the highest ranking prelates who were still adhering to the loose and pleasure seeking lifestyle of the previous century, before the Council of Trento.

As time progressed, due to the hours I had to spend inside the palace or in the courtyard, I became friendly with one of the stable hands, Righetto, a nice young man who was curious of everything and wanted to know about London life. He was dreaming of travelling, but he was also in love. He confided to me that the girl who had stolen his heart was Nina, daughter of one of the palace laundresses, presently being trained to become a lady's hairdresser. Pretty raven-haired Nina crossed the courtyard much more often than necessary, hoping for a glimpse of Righetto. The wretched boy was afraid that he would not be accepted as a suitor, because her parents had higher expectations.

I owe Righetto to this day, because he taught me a trick to tame horses. I had seen vampires riding, but they were human blood drinkers. An animal blood drinker like me terrified horses, and therefore it was impossible for me to ride, though I had been quite a good horseman before I was changed. I wanted to travel, and I used carriages whenever possible, but often I had to resort to walking, and such are the ways of the world that arrival on foot could undermine my standing as a doctor. When Righetto saw the horses going almost berserk if I approached, he laughed and said that in his family they had an unfailing taming trick. He liked me, and since I was never going to be a competitor, he showed me. He raised his finger, made a strange sound, and then placed it on a particular point of the horse head, producing another sound. The animal stood completely still. I tried it on the oldest and tamest of the horses, while Righetto restrained it, and I was amazed. It worked! I was able to mount and make the horse move. From then on I was able to ride again, provided I choose a sweet tempered animal, a gelding or a mare, preferably. They trembled a little, but they submitted.

I was already planning to leave for Bologna, thinking of maybe buying a horse at last, when something happened. I was sitting under the arcade when, with my enhanced senses, I was able to hear a whispered conversation happening in a room looking on the courtyard. I was horrified. The person speaking was the resident priest, the highest one in the household's clerical hierarchy, his companion the head of the Cardinal'smercenary bodyguards.

"It is going to be two nights from now," the priest was saying, "But the chosen virgin fell suddenly ill and died on us. We have to find another immediately. Maybe Nina will do. With her dark tresses she is the black ewe Hecate likes."

There was no way this conversation was an innocent one. Completely still I waited for more. "Where is it going to happen?" asked the mercenary. "Deep down under San Clemente," the priest answered. Then they moved on.

Endnotes

In the Italian part of this story I will name a lot of places, ancient and modern. They are all places that exist in reality and can be visited.

Please let me know you opinion. After The Parachutist this is the most complex story I have written.

As for Hecate's physical appearance, you can google _Ecate Chiaramonti,_ which is in the Vatican Museums, albeit it is not exactly like the one I describe in the story. That has 3 bodies too, while in my case it should be 3 heads, one body.


	3. Chapter 3 Rome 1686, continued

**Eros and Psyche by Camilla****10**

A/N

To avoid confusion: This story starts in Yale, about 6 years post BD. Edward and the rest of the Cullens suddenly disappear. Only Bella is left, confused and alone. In this chapter, as well as in the previous one, we are discovering the reason why. It lies in Carlisle distant past. So now we are in Rome and it is 1686.

Chapter 3 - Rome 1686, continued

Carlisle

I needed to understand better what I had heard. Evil was brewing, and I felt compelled to learn more. That night, I did not go out as usual, putting instead all of my vampire powers in play. Unseen, I scaled walls and listened near windows, gathering a mosaic of unrelated information that was difficult to make sense of. But, in the end, I had put together a sketchy picture from some of the conversations I had listened to. Innocent XI was considered an enemy of the Cardinal. It was feared that the Pope was soon going to exert some form of discipline against my host. He was suspected to be paying only lip service to Christianity, while he was secretly worshipping the old gods. References were made to the Olympus' Brethren, a sect of some sort. The Brethren were going to meet in the Roman remains under the foundations of the ancient Basilica of San Clemente, not far from the Coliseum.

I was disgusted, but also debating if I should really follow this up when, the following morning, there was a great commotion. Nina had disappeared. Nobody could find her, her mother was distraught, and Righetto looked like death warmed over, because he could not even express his true feelings. Since His Eminence had gone to some function with a large retinue, I decided to take a risk and intrude into his rooms.

Apart from the luxury, however, there was nothing noteworthy there. No papers of interest were lying around. The apartment was full of artwork of religious content; rather displeasing for me, due to my Reformed Church upbringing, but absolutely normal here. A big plaster reproduction of Michelangelo's Piety held my attention. It looked wrong somehow, as the other statues and paintings were obviously originals. My acute sight noticed that, between the plaster group and the wooden pedestal, there was an almost invisible split, thinner than a hair.

I tried to lift the plaster, but it did not move. I ran my fingers around the wooden base and touched the tiny rosettes circling it. I started pressing them, and one clicked. The plaster group was then easily released from the pedestal, revealing what was below it: a marble statue and not a Christian one.

Over the body of a woman, three heads sprang forth, crowned with spike-like flames. While different from other representations I had seen, I recognized what the statue was, because I had studied the old religion and its myths. My father had made me do it. Despite his hate for everything pagan, he thought that the related knowledge was helpful for his unrelenting hunt of non-Christian foes.

This was the dark goddess, Hecate.

She was the one with three forms, Selene in the sky, Diane on earth, Hecate in the lower world and in the world above, when it is wrapped in shadows. Her name was associated with deeds of darkness and with crossroads, held to be places of evil magic. An awful divinity, in fact. A night-wanderer, she was credited with wit-depriving spells, but also with power. It was Hecate who bestowed wealth and personal advances to those whose prayers she received favorably. Similarly, the outcome of wars, strife and rivalries depended on her. To gain her support, sacrifices were appropriate: a black puppy dog, black bull or a black ewe. Nina.

I left the room and, undetected, I found my way to the courtyard. At this point, I could predict quite accurately what was going to happen. If Rome was not a den of iniquity, the household hosting me certainly was. The so called 'man of God' worshipped idols, and had some hideous rite planned for the following night. A rite for which he needed a virgin, who was unlikely to survive. Poor Nina had been abducted and would be the intended sacrificial black ewe. I decided that I could not stand aloof; I would try to save her.

I needed an ally though, and it was easy to find. I looked for Righetto and went with him to a secluded corner. "I suspect where Nina is or will be," I told him, "and she is in mortal danger, but I'll try to rescue her." Of course he wanted to come with me, and he was full of questions, but I told him I could do it only if I was alone. In fact, I would probably need to use my inhuman powers, and I did not want him to see me in action. The thing that worried me most in this endeavor was indeed exposure, but I decided I would risk it.

I convinced Righetto that he had another all-important task. He should steal two horses, choosing for me the one already accustomed to my body, saddle them, and be ready for my return with Nina, hoping that I was successful. Then, we would run away. He would be suspected of the theft, and more, so he should not think of seeking refuge with relatives but, in order to ensure Nina's safety and his, they would have to leave the Papal States altogether, and go maybe as far as the Republic of Venice. Therefore, since he was going to become a thief anyway, he could try and steal some valuables also, to sustain him until he found work. He accepted my plan readily, proof of the strength of the feelings he had for his beloved.

I left the palace, to study in advance the Basilica of San Clemente and find the place where the rite could conceivably be held. I could go immediately, the sky was overcast.

The young Irish monk who took me around the Basilica was bubbling with information. This was not one church; it was an inverted pyramid of buildings. The 12th-century basilica, rich in mosaics and works of art, was built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church, which was built over a Roman_ insula,_ or quarter, containing a 3rd-century Mithraic temple. It was Rome at its most fascinating, a vertical plunge in history.

I surmised that the rite was going to be held in the pagan temple below, so I asked my guide to hasten our descent. Going down, we could hear the sound of rushing water. The stream was even visible through certain windows cut out of the rock. It was an underground river that in the past, before the Dominican monks started their excavations, had flooded the entire archeological area. We passed an antechamber, and finally got to see a narrow hall, lined on either side by stone steps and ending with the altar of the deity. A big slab of stone had been placed in front of it. It was dark, damp and cold. I looked around and saw that there were many hiding places I could choose, provided I found a way to get inside not passing through the churches above. The Cardinal and his followers surely had access, but I had to find another way. The monk looked nervous, and told me I had been lucky to see the _mithreum,_ because it was going to be shut to visitors starting from the next day. It figured. I thanked him profusely and we went upstairs, where I departed leaving an offer for his community.

The monk had told me that the underground river ended up in the _Cloaca Maxima_, the great sewer built by the Romans. I knew the place where the_ Cloaca_ discharged into the Tiber river, so I hastened there. It was dusk by the time I arrived; therefore, I was able to get inside the big sewer mouth unseen. I disrobed, leaving most of my garments in a dark corner, along with the black wig I had been wearing to cover my too blond and recognizable head. I started my exploration. It was not as disgusting as I had feared, because many freshwater streams were channeled into the sewer, and a runway of stones allowed for walking on the side without getting wet. I ran at vampire speed, with a mental map of the city above to guide me. Now I needed to find the right stream. It was a matter of trial and error, but I found it and swam against the current until I saw above me the window I had looked down from a few hours before. I scaled the wall and went inside. Fine, I would repeat the exercise tomorrow. I heard people approaching, coming probably in preparation for what was about to happen, and I dove into the subterranean stream.

Once I was back in the Cardinal's palace, I perfected our plans with Righetto and then announced to the Cardinal house master that, two days from now, I would be leaving very early, going to the port of Civitavecchia to take a ship for England. I penned a letter of thanks for the Cardinal, packed my belongings and left them with the young stable hand, telling him to procure and give to me a dress for Nina, adding some other necessities for her in his baggage.

In the morning, I left and went back to the sewer. I disrobed again, just keeping my breeches on, and I left the rest of my garments and the dress for Nina in a well hidden bundle. However, I put my wig and a mask in an oilcloth wrapper, and took it along. I would be seen, but I should not be recognized. I then walked to the underground stream, swam and perched on the wall leading to the opening into San Clemente. I donned the wig and the mask and waited.

Well into the night, I saw the light of torches and heard people coming down. I waited for them to enter the Mithraic temple and finally went inside, climbing on a pillar in the ante chamber.

There were some twenty people in the room, all cloaked and masked. The Mithra's altar had been covered with a dark cloth, and the statue of Hecate I had seen in the Cardinal's room had been placed over it. On the slab of stone below there was Nina, undressed and unmoving, probably drugged. One of the participants walked in front of the altar and spoke in Latin. I recognized the Cardinal's voice.

"_Coram dea deicite vos_", he chanted, asking the participants to prostrate themselves at the goddess' feet. They did so. He went on with his ungodly prayer. After a while, he asked the worshippers to raise their voices to summon the deity, and they started to howl. I remembered that the pagans believed that howls would be pleasing to Hecate. The howling became louder, and then something incredible happened. The idol's three pair of eyes opened, blazing white. The cardinal asked the goddess to grant his wish. Pope Innocent had to die. In exchange, a death for a death, he was offering her this black ewe….

He approached the stone. He raised the knife he had in his hand….

I jumped from my pillar and was over him in a second. I threw him into the wall and heard the sound of bones breaking. His shoulder, probably. I have always disliked violence, but I was not sorry. I took the girl in my arms and hastened out of the room. Something made me look back for an instant. The six eyes of the idol bored into mine. She spoke, and had I still blood in my veins, it would have frozen.

"_A mea ultione non effugis_," she hissed, promising I would not escape her. Then her blazing eyes shut, and she was again just a statue. I flew to the window and plunged with Nina into the waters below.

---------

Chapter endnotes

Oh handsome, bare chested Carlisle, a manpire of action at last! If you like the idea, please review. Only one very nice person is doing it, while many are reading. Come on, I need to know what you are thinking. If I get depressed due to lack of reviews I lose my will to update.

Getting back to Carlisle, has offended a powerful deity. No good deed goes unpunished, they say, and now, centuries after, there will be hell to pay.

If one reads all that has been written about Hecate, one finds that the goddess was not necessarily considered all bad. There are also positive aspects in her magic. However, for this story's purpose I have decided to take on only the negative aspects.

San Clemente exists and is really worth a visit, if you ever come to Rome. And walking along the Tiber you can still see the entrance of the _Cloaca Maxima_.

And, finally, don't miss a good read: Resolutions by DoUTrustMe. The hero, an actor, is a perfect mix between Edward and Rob P. and there is an amazing supernatural aspect, not the usual one. And lots of love.


	4. Chapter 4 Rome 1686 Rome 201…

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla10**

A/N

The second part of this chapter happens shortly before the time setting of Chapter 1. In it I introduce a new character, who will have a crucial role in the story. He is a descendant of Cardinale Salvi Donati.

Chapter 4 - Rome 1686/ Rome 201… 

Rome 1686, conclusion

Carlisle

Our trip north was fast and uneventful. Near Bologna, I parted company with Righetto and Nina, and directed them to Venice. I could only hope that all went well with them. In Bologna, I was finally able to make contact with Doctor Malpighi and we had many interesting and useful conversations. From Bologna, I could easily reach the outer borders of the Appennini mountains, where game was plentiful and human presence scarce, so my stay in a town nicknamed _la dotta,_ meaning the learned one, was relaxed and fruitful.

As Bologna was part of the Papal States, it was easily reached by gossips from Rome, and one exciting bit of it was the downfall of Cardinal Salvi Donati. Mysteriously injured, he had been sent by the Pope to recover his health in a monastery in Abruzzi, but he was never allowed back to Rome again. My correspondence with Malpighi continued for some time after I left Italy, and from one of his letters I learned that His Eminence had died in his exile. He had not even participated to the Conclave which, after the death of Innocent XI, elected Pope Innocent XII, none other than Cardinal Pignatelli, Malpighi's protector.

At the beginning of the 20th century, I left Europe for North America, continuing with my medical studies as learning progressed. I become a surgeon, a profession that in my early years had been held in low esteem, its practitioners not even having University degrees. But, this had now changed. My personal life also changed, completely. I was no longer alone, and by the end of the century I had my own coven, but I preferred to think of it as my family, comprising of my beloved wife Esme and five 'children'. All but two of them I had changed myself, because they were dying, and the two others joined us on their own. We all abstained from human blood_, _and that made interaction with humans possible. Also, the ties that held us together were practically unique among vampires. In the early years of the new millennium my son Edward met Bella, a wonderful human girl that was his salvation. Before meeting her he had been wretchedly alone, and had hated himself.

They had to overcome many difficulties and dangers to be together, but their love prevailed. Before joining him in immortality, Bella risked everything to give him a hybrid daughter; something that I had not believed was even possible. Contemplating my family, quite happy and well adjusted despite the terrible call of our nature; I felt that I had been truly blessed. I had bet against vampirism equaling damnation and I had won.

I reminisced on what had transpired in Rome only once, when I told the story to my family one evening in Forks, in the weeks preceding Edward and Bella's marriage. We were discussing academically about myths, and our being mythical creatures ourselves, albeit absolutely real. In this context, I felt compelled to tell them of my brush with another mythical world, one I sincerely hoped I would never be in contact with again.

Rome 201...

The Hon. Valerio Donati, MP

Fuck him, fuck him, fuck him. I am halfway drunk with the excellent grappa donated by that creepy guy from Volterra.

I have screwed up royally and now Mario Baroni, the leader of my party, damn him, has decided to screw ME. I tried to take his place, but I moved too early and I lost the confrontation at the Party's General Assembly immediately before the elections. I have been elected, to be sure, it was too late to change the candidates' lists, and a scandal would have been counterproductive, but today's news is that I'm not getting a ministerial portfolio, nor a party position and, most probably, I will not be a candidate next time. Today, my pariah status has been sanctioned by the Party's Direction. Finished. And full of debts, due to the last electoral campaign.

Well, there is nothing for it, I have to find money. My fall from grace means that the banks will not be very amenable. This time, the Salvi Donati palace, owned by my family for over 400 years, will have to go. It is becoming too expensive to keep anyway, even if the upper and lower floors have long since been rented as offices. But the _Piano Nobile_, the main floor, that is, the actual residence of my famous ancestor, is still mine, the last scion of our so called dynasty. The almost-divorced gold digging bitch that is my wife lives in our villa on the Appian way, while I have chosen to reside here, since it is very conveniently located in the center, near the Parliament.

But, before selling the building, I should try to make a profit from the many art pieces that I still own. So, I am here making a goddamned inventory and getting progressively more drunk. What will be the most lucrative way of disposing of them? A Christie's auction? Or selling single pieces through Via del Babuino's antique dealers? Or a private purchaser? As I take another gulp of grappa, I think about the person whose gift it was and how I met him. He might be interested in buying.

When I was previously elected, 5 years ago, I had to run in Sicily and so I had to compromise. Friends of friends set up a discreet meeting between me and Salvatore Lo Cascio, a person I would not have wanted to know, in other circumstances. An agreement was reached; nothing specific was asked of me, but it was clear that I would have to show my gratitude in some substantial way later on. I was elected with an ample majority and earned a high party position. After a couple of years my debt was called in and I suspected it was not going to be the last time.

Another one of Lo Cascio's friends needed a favor, namely that the old mayor of Volterra was allowed to run again, instead of the new candidate my party favored and was sure to have elected, since we controlled the majority of voters in the constituency. So I met this Aro de' Volturi. He obviously had the old mayor in his pockets, as he must have had his predecessors before him, and didn't want any new broom. As the concept of idealistic changes was not too deeply rooted within my party, and I had a lot of influence at that time, I could easily arrange things as he desired. The old mayor ran again and was elected for another 5 years. From Aro de' Volturi I got a surprisingly courteous handwritten thank you letter, saying very little, and an elegant wooden crate filled with grappa bottles. Unnecessary, since I was just repaying my debt to Lo Cascio, but a nice gesture.

He must have been handsome in his prime, but now he was very strange, with a pale powdery skin so thin that it was impossible to give him an age. He dressed very conservatively and had a couple of people, one man and one woman, that followed him step by step. They both were also pale, maybe because they seldom left that sort of palace-fortress they live in. In any case, the rooms I saw when we met were full of antiques.

I continue doing my inventory, taking photos and copying them in my laptop with a written caption under each. But, I am getting so drunk that to continue working is becoming impossible. The more grappa I gulp, the more I feel enraged with the motherfucking leader of my party. _Ecco_, if he died – and God knows he is old enough – my situation could be reversed. Not many others are better suited than me to become leaders…

I notice that I am focusing on a copy of Michelangelo's Piety set in a dim corner. It is not a good copy, and it is plaster, not marble. Damn it, the bottle is almost empty. I take the last swig and then throw it on the offending group. It is heavy glass and the plaster cracks. Stupid, fucking drunk ass. I could have sold it. I go on uncertain feet to assess the damage. Through the crack I can see that there is something inside. I enlarge the crack and here it is a marble idol and a small leather book at its feet. At least this is probably worth more money than the plaster.

The book is handwritten, in Latin. Now, I have this thing with Latin, that when I was a _Liceo classico_ student it came to me almost naturally. I could read anything, and I even amused myself by speaking it. I used to surprise my fellow students by saying obscene things, drawn from Catullus' dirtier poetry and Martial's epigrams. Ones not contained in our text books, to be sure, but that I had purchased for my enjoyment. The surprise of my discovery clears my head marginally. The statue looks ancient; maybe the booklet has info about it.

I sprawl on a sofa and read. No antiquarian information though. It is a prayer. An unholy prayer I would say; to be recited in honor of the Goddess Hecate, the Dark one, to summon her and ask her favor.

Oh, this is so fucking weird that I need another drink, so I proceed to uncap another bottle of grappa, the last one. If only this worked I could ask for Baroni's demise and get it. I am becoming very drunk again, laughter mixed with tears choke me, but I go in front of the idol and start reciting from the book….

Chapter endnotes

The Italian parliamentarian and his political circumstances have nothing to do with reality. Italian real life politics can be even worse, but what I describe here is just a figment of my imagination.

Of course I need you reviews, please. I promise you that we are going back to Edward and Bella soon and things will become clearer in the next chapters.

And, I want to add something. There a very original story that should not be missed: Resolutions by DoUTrustMe. Edward and Bella, with a dash of Rob, and supernatural aspects that are really surprising ... Fun, passionate and lovely.


	5. Chapter 5 Rome 201… Back in the US

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla10**

Chapter 5 . 201… / Back in the US  
.

Rome 201 …

The Hon. Valerio Donati, MP 

Groaning. Splitting headache. I must have passed out on the sofa. I try to get up and my head is pierced by a white flash of pain. I back down again, eyes closed, and I am assaulted by confused images. Did I dream all that or did it truly happen? Hell, but I was drunk yesterday! Imagine me reciting a prayer to Hecate, asking her for the death of Baroni. I had even howled like a fucking dog, and then I had challenged her and asked what she wanted in exchange. A human sacrifice, perhaps? And I said all that bullshit in Latin. Oh come on.

I fumble for my cell phone. Damn, it is only five in the morning. Maybe I'll sleep some more and then I'll feel better….

Wait, where am I? I am … somewhere. Somewhere foggy; I get glimpses of an unfamiliar landscape, but I can't concentrate on it because of the monster in front on me. That I can see very well. A perfect woman's body: tall, voluptuous, clad in a white tunic. But, her neck sustains three heads. Each head would be unearthly beautiful if was just the one, but together they are horrible on that single body. This is not the statue I have found in my house. She breaths, she moves, she speaks, her dark eyes piercing mine.

"Kneel, mortal," she says and I am so terrified that I obey immediately. "You dared to summon me to satisfy your miserable wishes! Be careful of what you ask, because you might get it, but you will have to pay the price. And you will do it, whether you want to or not, because now you are mine. When you are back in your disgusting world, which has forgotten us, I will always be with you, telling you what to do. Feel my power, feel what will happen if you hesitate for even a second…"

A white bolt of pain ravages my body and I scream until, abruptly, it ends.

"You asked yourself if I wanted a human sacrifice for granting your wish," she continues, "and I do want a sacrifice, but not 'human'. The man I seek to punish is not human. That much I sensed when he interrupted the rite that was summoning me." Her three mouths are smiling a thoughtful smile. "The faithful kneeling at my feet were asking me to do a very pleasurable thing. I was to send to Hades the main servant of that foolish, self sacrificing god who has ousted us…I was relishing the very idea." The smile suddenly vanishes. "And then the undead came and I was there no more," she concludes.

In my mind a scene is unfolding. A vision surely, sent by the monster who is possessing me. I am in an underground chamber, the flickering light of torches allowing me to see. A number of people are prostrated in front of an altar where there is the simulacrum of the same goddess who is speaking to me. A high priest or some such is raising his knife to a nude girl, lying on a slab of marble under the altar. Then, impossibly fast, a half-naked man erupts into the chamber, shoves the high priest against the wall and gathers the girl into his arms. I cannot see his face, it is covered by a mask, I see only his muscular chest gleaming white in the darkness. He stops for a second while the simulacrum speaks to him, and then he literally flies up a staircase and disappears.

"I want that man, who was not living but was not dead!" Hecate cries, "go, find him for me and you will have your heart's desire! "

My head hurts. I feel a knife piercing my brain. The three-headed monster is no longer visible. Blackness envelops me.

I wake up while the dream slowly retreats, but I remember everything perfectly. I see that it is morning, and the sun is shining. What the fuck has happened to me this night? Well, nothing that a big dose of coffee won't cure.

My cell phone rings. It is Parini, my assistant, with incredible news. Last night, Mario Baroni had a stroke, and now he is at the hospital, between life and death. Parini would like to go on, speculating on what will happen now, but I cut him short.

I go in the kitchen to make myself the coffee and my mind is reeling. Could this have happened because..? It can't be possible, and yet…but then Baroni is not dead, exactly. Maybe he will recover, if I don't deliver. No, this is pure madness, I have to react! I decide to go to the House. I shower and dress quickly. The moment I leave the palace and turn in the direction of Montecitorio, I feel like I am being impaled. I remember the pain from my dream. I retreat toward the palace, and the pain subsides. I try again to walk towards the city centre and I can't, as the pain seizes me again.

I go back to my apartment. My laptop is still on, with the inventory I had written yesterday. I go to shut it and I am again blinded by pain. What the hell is it that the she-devil wants of me? I know; she wants me to find somebody "undead". What the fuck? A distant memory hits me, of a book I read many years ago. Dracula. Vampires were defined as undead by the author. Really? I have to find a vampire? Oh fine, where does one go for that? Hollywood?

No, hang on. Volterra. They hold a festival there to honor some saint chasing vampires out of town or something, don't they? Yes, I remember now my idle conversation with Aro Volturi before we discussed our business. He told me that, because of the festival, something unique in Italy, he had researched the issue extensively. Who knows, maybe he can give me some clue. OK, I'll go there. Not to be taken for a madman, I could use the art collection I have to sell as a pretext. I go to my laptop, and this time I can take it without problems. I put together a small suitcase, and I go down to the palace courtyard to get my car. No pain at all. So, evidently, Volterra is my intended destination.

Back in the US  


Carlisle

Alice came to see me at the hospital. She explained that she did not want to worry Esme. But, in fact, it was her who looked very worried. I had not seen Alice so tense since the time she saw the Volturi coming for us, shortly after Nessie's birth.

"Something is after you," she said, "but I cannot understand what it is."

"The Volturi again?" I asked, beginning to worry as well.

"I have seen them, but that is not all. I saw ... Carlisle, it is ridiculous, I know, but I saw a statue. Here, let me draw what I saw." Her pencil flew over the paper.

I recognized the drawing immediately, and I stopped breathing for a while.

"This is a statue of Hecate, Alice. You remember when I told you about the adventure I had in Rome in the 17th century?" She nodded.

"Hecate promised to come for me," I murmured, almost to myself, "but who could have awakened her again in this age? It is incredible. Have you seen anything else?" I asked.

Alice was silent for a while, and when she spoke it was with great pain.

"It is very blurred. But I have seen us being dismembered and burned by the Volturi. In other visions I saw us sleeping, or dead, lying in a tomb underground."

"All of us?" I asked, panicked for my family.

"Yes, sometimes. In other visions Bella seems not to be there, nor Nessie."

She made a drawing of the tomb. Looking at the decorations I had no doubts it was an Etruscan tomb.

"Alice, in Tuscany I have seen tombs such as this one, when I was spending time with Aro. He is Etruscan himself, you know."

"What shall we do, Carlisle, what do we say to the others? Jasper knows, of course, I told him before coming to you…"

"Nothing. We need to know more. But, try to monitor the Volturi, this connection with an Etruscan tomb cannot be casual. Let's wait a few days, then, maybe you will see more and we will decide what to do." 

Endnotes

I know that the time shifts could be confusing. Ask me for any clarification, in case. And bear with me: in chapter 7 we will finally have a very angsty Edward and we will know what happened.


	6. Chapter 6 They are all vampires, cazzo!

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla10**

Chapter 6- They are all vampires, _cazzo! _

The Hon. Valerio Donati, MP

So, here I am in Volterra, totally unsatisfied.

When I arrived at Aro Volturi's mansion, castle, whatever you want to call it, a pretty receptionist, introducing herself as Romina, asked me to wait. Then one of Aro's personal assistants, Renata I think her name is, came out to tell me that her boss was truly sorry, he was caught up in a meeting, but he would be free later. It was obvious that the news about my political downfall had reached even this minor town in Tuscany, and I didn't get top priority anymore. So I was left to fret.

I went out strolling around Volterra, and when I finally returned, the big man was ready to receive me. When the moment to speak came, I did not really know how to begin. I tried to go slowly, speaking about the electoral campaign that had ended just a few weeks ago … And the pain hit me. I couldn't speak through it, but I began thinking every god damn curse imaginable. SHE did not want me to lose time, obviously. I doubled over and Aro was at my side, looking full of concern. He put his hand on my shoulder, then touched my brow, and froze. His assistant rose abruptly from her chair, but then sat down again. The pain started to subside.

"My dear friend," Aro said after a while, releasing me, "I believe your visit is extremely important and we should speak at length. I would also like for you to meet my brothers. Let's postpone everything till tomorrow morning, if you don't mind. Be my guest this night. I am ashamed that I cannot invite you to dinner but, if you go to the restaurant just off the square on the right, you will be fed tolerably, I believe. I keep an open account there. When you come back, Romina will show you your room."

There was nothing for it, I had to wait.

The guest room I am in now is modern, elegant and anonymous. I change into my pajama and lie down on the bed, doubting I can sleep. But I must have done it, because I suddenly wake up. Somebody is in my fucking room. I light the lamp on my night stand and my eyes widen. A young woman has entered and she is gorgeous. She has a mane of curly hair the color of mahogany, black eyes and a body, a body I have not seen the like on any sexy calendar ever printed. The fact that she is clad in a short silk slip and nothing else does not help, or helps, whatever. All I can think is that this woman is a most wonderful piece of ass.

"Hi," she says with a musical voice," I am sorry I woke you up, but I was feeling sooo lonely." She approaches my bed and I am stunned by the delicious perfume she has on. "Please, let me introduce myself, she almost sings, "my name is Fiammetta. I live here."

I am speechless, I cannot believe this is happening. Things simply do not work like this, because she is now sitting on my bed, her beautiful face just centimeters from mine. "Do you want me to go away?" she asks, and breathes on me. I am losing it. A 'no' escapes my constricted throat, and then she kisses me. She has cold lips and an icy tongue, but my mouth is on fire…. "Fine, I'll make you very happy," she breathes, and her hands start working on the buttons of my pajama top. Her skin is cold, but wherever she touches me my body feels scalding hot. A monstrous erection is straining my pants. I must be one lucky bastard.

After a long time, I just lie on my bed, exhausted. It has been the best fuck of my entire life. She is insatiable, but she has worked her magic on me, enabling me to get it up again and again. Not even when I was twenty I was able to perform like this. I feel like Rocco Siffredi in his prime.

She moves from my side, and now is hovering over me. She starts kissing my neck, licking it. "I don't think I can do anything more, for the moment, sorry," I murmur. She laughs, "Oh no, I don't want that, I want something else". I realize that she is keeping me pinned down so that I cannot move. Fiammetta is slim, but incredibly strong. I start to get nervous, I shudder. Her mouth is on my throat, where my pulse is. I feel her teeth grazing my skin, almost painfully.

"Fiammetta, no!" The door bursts open and the big guy, Felix, jumps at Fiammetta with a speed I have never seen the like. "He is Aro's guest, you bitch!" he growls. She turns to him, hissing, making animal sounds. I turn on the room light and I wish I had not done it. Felix's eyes are not mud brown like they were when I last saw him. They are ruby red. He grabs Fiammetta and they wrestle, she tries to bite him, but he is stronger and subjugates her. In seconds he leaves the room with her, shutting the door.

I lie back panting. A lot of details start clicking in my head, composing a picture I cannot deny anymore. I know what this is. When Felix intervened, she was about to bite me and suck my blood. Oh fucking Christ. They are pale, strong, very beautiful and very fast. Of course Aro is the right person to tell me about vampires. They are all god damn vampires, _cazzo_. I am positive about it. Two days ago I would have scoffed at the notion, but after my encounter with Hecate, I am a firm believer in the supernatural. So, vampires do exist, and I am their house guest. Maybe even their next meal. I have to go away. I tiptoe to the door, but it is closed and there is no longer a key. It is a very sturdy door. How did I get into this shit?

I spend what is left of the night awake and terrified. There is a soft knocking and Romina comes in, she brings a small tray with coffee and croissants, then she leaves and the door is again closed. I realize that she is not a vampire, her skin is rosy, her eyes blue, there is nothing inhuman about her. What the fuck? So I get a breakfast before I am the breakfast? But if there are normal people working for them – in fact I remember I have seen others surely human in my previous visits, then maybe they are not blood thirsty all the time. And, come to think of it, Felix saved me yesterday. Marginally calmer, I wait to be called.

Later, I follow Felix to a part of the castle I haven't been before, very ancient. The stone walls are covered here and there with tapestries that look like the real thing. We enter a circular room. Is it, oh for fucks sake, is it a throne room? Apparently. Two men, no, two vampires that look as old as Aro sit on two of the thrones. He is standing and approaches me with Renata at his elbow. He touches me lightly. I can't help cringing. He speaks.

"I am very sorry for this night's accident. I can see that you now have a clearer idea of our nature. I did not plan it to be so soon, but it was bound to happen."

Holy Shit! Hang on, he can 'see'? How?

"Yes, when I touch you I can read your mind. And I saw that there is somebody else in your head. Forgive me, but I need to speak with Her." His mouth utters words that are not in any language I know. My mouth opens and I reply in the same strange language, where many consonants are aspirated. But I don't know what I am saying. Oh fuck me. SHE is responding to him.

He resumes in Latin. "Yes, my Lady, I thought he would not understand Etruscan. If you don't want this human to know everything, that is."

Etruscan? Indeed, nobody can even read the blasted language properly, let alone speak it, except, apparently, this ancient son of a bitch.

"As you wish," he continues in Latin, "I have seen in your host's mind the vision you sent him. I saw the being you want found. I understand that this happened in Rome when Pope Innocent the Eleventh reigned and that the officiant was Cardinal Salvi Donati, an old friend of mine. Oh yes, I know the creature you are looking for, even if his face was masked and he wore a wig. There was only one immortal in Rome at the time that could do what he did. His name is Carlisle Cullen. He still walks this world and he has created for himself his own coven of immortals. I can bring them all to you. It will be my pleasure to serve you."

Chapter endnotes

I hope you intend to stay with me, and will post a review. In the next chapter we will have a very Angstward's PoV.

_Cazzo_ is a vulgar expletive we Italians use a lot. Formerly forbidden on TV and radio, now you can hear it even there. It can be translated as "what the fuck", while literally it means "cock".

Rocco Siffredi, now retired, was the most famous among Italian male porn stars. Well endowed and very talented.

As you will have noticed, Gianna is no longer the Volturi's receptionist. Maybe she was consumed, or maybe she was turned, I don't know. But time had passed and they wanted somebody younger.

Fiammetta will pop up again in this story, but since her bio will not be addressed, I'll just say that she was a succubus and was being trained to become a lure. However, she was not in control of her blood lust yet.

Like all the other Volturi, Felix would have used contact lenses when meeting humans, but, as he was desperate to stop Fiammetta, he had not the time to put a new pair on.

There is nothing for it. Now, having seen the filming of New Moon, I see Montepulciano passing off as Volterra, and its Municipal palace as the Volturi's lair. The restaurant off the palace on the right is where I saw Felix and Demetri having lunch (well, the actors, that is).

And you can imagine my feelings when I'll go pay my garbage tax in the Municipal Palace stepping on the very door where Edward shed his shirt (gasp).


	7. Chapter 7 The good liar

**Eros and Psyche**** by Camilla10**

Chapter note

And now: Angstward for you.

Chapter 7 The good liar

Yale 201..

Edward

Our kind doesn't sleep, but when we are relaxed we can get into a sort of semi-stupor, which is very soothing. Bella is experiencing that, lying sated in my arms. I wish I could do the same. However, I keep completely still as well, because I don't want to give myself away. I want to remember this night, if it is our last one. Oh please God, let it not be so…I could never have enough of her. Her passion matched mine. We devoured each other, and then we slowly cherished our bodies. I remember her on top, coming and screaming my name, I remember me taking her from behind like an animal, an animal she loves because it is still me…Then we slowed down, our lips busy…It has been a long night, a night that passed in a blink.

And now I have an eternity to repent of my lies, or maybe not. Maybe I don't have an eternity anymore.

I lied to her. The first time in so many years and I am leaving her, the very thing I promised I would never do again. I don't deserve to be forgiven, if we survive. I will be leaving her broken again. This time maybe I have a good a reason, but I will be destroying myself by doing so. But what else can I do? If I tell her the truth, she will never let me go alone. If she is not with me, she can survive. I know she is not interested in that, like I would not be, if the roles were reversed, but Alice thinks that she can also save us all. And we have been warned by a vision. No, it was not even a vision; it was something else, something I would have a difficulty believing if I had not seen it, if my family had not seen it. What we saw gave us some hope, but the warning was clear: Bella should not be told. And so my road to hell began.

I started lying after a call from Carlisle. We were already in Yale, setting up the house we would use while following the course on classical literature. It was shortly after Nessie's marriage, celebrated in La Push. Carlisle asked me to come to a family meeting, but I was not to bring Bella. Of course I objected, but what he said next nearly ripped out my un-beating heart. He said that if she came with me, we all would probably cease to exist. If she did not, we had a chance. Alice had had terrible visions, and we needed to discuss what to do. After the call I was shattered, but I decided to obey. How could I not?

I invented the need to put a signature on some real estate deed. Bella knows how many buildings our family owns here and there, so she believed me and was happy not to come, as she wanted to continue working on our house. Esme had given her a lot of suggestions she wanted to follow.

Once we were reunited, Carlisle recalled what had happened to him in Rome more than three centuries ago and then gave the floor to Alice. I shared with her the horrific visions she was describing to the others, and what I saw froze my already cold body to the core.

While not always present when she had her first visions, now the Volturi were in the picture. Or, better, Demetri, accompanied by Felix and Alec, was. He was tracking us and found us every time, regardless to whether or not were alone or all together. There was no physical confrontation, nobody attacked us, because with them there was also a human, a non descript man of about forty, who in every vision came forward with uncertain steps and a pained face, raised his arm and then … everything just went black. In the visions where Bella was present, she used her shield to no avail, because we all vanished into darkness just the same. Every time I watched those particular visions, it nearly caused me physical pain, almost impossible to bear.

Alice could not see where we had gone, she saw only darkness. Then she started having a new vision. We were all together in Volterra, in front of Aro. Bella was not with us.

"It looks like we are giving ourselves up," observed Jasper.

"Over my pile of ashes," Emmet growled.

"It may well be the case, but wait, I have to tell you more," Alice said grimly. In her mind, I saw us descending on a large underground tomb, accompanied by Aro and other Volturi warriors, plus the human of previous visions. We all reclined on the stone beds of the burial chambers, and the human raised his hand. Again, darkness engulfed us.

Then, I saw Bella in Alice's mind. She was walking in a city that looked like Rome, as Carlisle confirmed. It was night and she was going inside a garden, in the rain. She jumped over the iron fence then walked around till she found, immured on the remains of an old brick wall, something that looked like an ancient stone gate. It was encircled by marble squares inscribed with symbols. Bella was looking at the symbols, and then she raised her hand to the upper right side of the gate. She seemed to be reciting something. Then she touched the symbol of womanhood. The vision ended abruptly.

"Alice and I have discussed this so many times," Carlisle said "It looks like Bella is looking for us in Italy. She might be our only hope, if she is not taken. But, if she is with you, Edward, Demetri will find her." He was speaking, and in his mind I saw the same agonized words, _"My dear son, I don't know how to tell you this, but you have to leave her, you know that when she is alone she is impossible to track. In fact it is better that nobody of the Volturi comes here in the US, it is better that we go to them and give ourselves up, as Alice has seen. And you know that, if Bella learns where you are going, she will not let you leave without her." _

I was totally unconvinced. It did not make any sense. The moment Aro touched me he would know where Bella was, and if – as Carlisle seemed to believe – he was going to help some ancient goddess have her revenge over my father and our family, then Bella would be found, unless she left Yale and disappeared. But who was going to tell her to disappear, remain undetected and look for us, if we were gone? And how could she fight the power of an ancient, powerful and evil deity? I felt as if my entire life was falling apart at the very thought, like the last few years with her had just been some sick teasing game to have to end like this.

I could imagine her desperation, the feel of betrayal, if I left her with no explanations. No, better to go down together, I knew she would choose that.

Alice screamed, looking at the distant wall. This was not a vision that I, and I alone, could see in her mind. Everybody was seeing it. We stood, frozen, looking at the beautiful woman who stood in front of us. A faint but delicious scent permeated the room. Female vampires are gorgeous, but none of them could hold anything to this incredible beauty. And I noticed something even stranger. I saw her, but what Jasper was seeing was slightly different, and such was the case for Carlisle, and for the rest of my family. In each mind I saw some alteration, as if for each one of us she was giving an image of herself that was perfect in the eyes of the beholder. For each one of us, the color of her tresses changed slightly, and so did that of her eyes and the proportions of her perfect body clad in a shimmering tunic. And I knew who she was. If the door to a different universe had been opened and ancient gods were suddenly interacting with us, as Carlisle believed, then she was- she could only be - Venus, goddess of love.

Her body was slightly blurred; I realized she was not really here, as the paintings hung on the wall were faintly visible through her. She laughed and the room was full of light. _"Welcome to my presence, undead ones,"_ she said, or she sang, I could not say, nor could I say the language she was using, but her words resonated clearly in my mind and in that of my family's members. Images came unbidden to us. We saw ourselves with our mates in the throes of passion, _"Yes, you all worship often at my altars, and that pleases me, and you do not willingly cause pain or death." _Then she looked at me, and her power was evident. _"The one you love who is not here will be the instrument of my atonement. Once I persecuted another woman, a mortal one, whom my son loved. I was jealous, and so I denied the very essence of my being, that calls me to protect lovers. Through your woman, I will re-establish the balance, and Jupiter will be pleased."_ She laughed again and continued, _"You are about to disappear from her life, and she will have to find you again, as Psyche had to find my son, when he left her. You have to accept this, follow your destiny and believe that the strength of her love will enable her to save you and yours. To do this she must close the gate between your world and mine. She will start her quest alone, it must be so, because she has to be tested. But, I will help her, she will have a guide."_

I was still awestruck by the deity before me, but I was also in agony at her words which confirmed my worst fear; I had to leave Bella.

Venus did not speak again, her body became fainter and fainter and finally we could not see her anymore.

We stood silent for a while, absorbing what we had seen. "Son," Carlisle was addressing me, "I know," I interrupted him, "but I doubt if I can stand it!"

"It is not only because Bella can save us," my father added, "but also because Hecate must not prevail.. that door must be closed again!" I crumbled under his wise and selfless words. There was some more discussing, but at the end also my brothers and sisters acquiesced, with various degrees of impotent rage.

And so it was decided. I returned to my wife, deceiving her step by step, and waiting for Alice to tell us that the time had come and we had to travel to Italy. She was monitoring the Volturi, trying to see when they were going to decide to help Hecate take her revenge on Carlisle and our family and come for us.

Yesterday, Alice called me. Today, I am going to leave Bella abruptly and with no explanations, hoping that this course is the one that will be our salvation. But, I find it difficult to believe it, and I think that I don't deserve to be saved. Bella's heart is still now, but it can be broken and I am about to do it. I am resigned to what I am about to do, but I will never forgive myself.

Endnote

Did you like Venus? In this story she is going to be good, as she basically is, despite her persecution of Psyche. A very Mediterranean Mother indeed, jealous of another's beauty and of her son. But now she is going to help. Please review.


	8. Chapter 8 Negotiate

**Eros and Psyche**** by Camilla10**

Chapter 8 – Negotiate

Edward

During the flight to Italy, I try not to wallow in my guilt. There will be time for it when, if, I see Bella again. Now I need my wits with me. I sit with Alice for a while, as she shows me her visions. I feel that sharing them completely at least with me helps her, so I steel myself. One is so awful that she has not told the details to anybody, giving an edited version of it even to Jasper.

We are inside a secluded courtyard in the Vulturi fortress, and we are being dismembered, one by one. Four warriors restrain Carlisle. He has to watch while his family is destroyed. My father will be the last one to be burned on the pyre that has been prepared. As none of us but Carlisle is reacting or struggling, and I see Alec watching intently, he is probably keeping us in a gray void, deprived of our senses. Should we be aware, we would fight, and could take some of them down. They don't want to risk that. I cannot contemplate the agony Carlisle is experiencing. Among the onlookers that are watching as we die, I see Aro, his 'brothers' and the human who was present in other visions too.

Near me on the plane my sister's face is a mask of anguish, carved in stone. I can't even imagine what my face must look like.

But now, another vision is coming from her. I am speaking with Aro and the final vision changes. Again I see in her mind the tomb where we have to lie. So, after a discussion with Aro, we are not going to be destroyed. If we are not destroyed we may rise again. And we do.

The next vision is deeply distasteful. I see myself and Alice covered with the dark grey mantles of the Volturi guards. Our eyes, however, are still amber colored. Only a small kindness, it would seem. So this is the price we will have to pay.

_Wait,_ Alice thinks, _I have seen this also_. She shows me. We are all reunited and we are embracing under a soft rain. Bella is with us. My beautiful, beloved Bella. Behind us, I can see a waterfall.

So, we will have to negotiate with Aro, and I feel that it will be my task. Maybe more like a burden to bear. At least, I know now what to ask, and what to offer.

Many hours later we land in Rome, rent a Mercedes van and are on our way to Volterra. Together, we have agreed that I will be the one to speak, because I will be able to see what Aro is thinking while we discuss. It will not be easy, but I have to try and show the determination that might ensure our survival.

I feel a strong sense of déjà vu as we seek the entrance of the open part of the Volturi's fortress. There is a new human receptionist, I notice, wondering fleetingly about what might have happened to Gianna.

After a short while, we are introduced in the throne room. Most of the elite warriors are here, but not Aro's brothers.

"Greetings my friends," Aro says. "To what do we owe the honor…"

"We know that you were about to send for us," Carlisle answers curtly, "and we decided to save you the trouble. We have a proposal. My son Edward will speak for us."

I stand in front of Aro. In his mind, I see the Etruscan tomb of Alice's vision. Interesting.

"We know you are going to deliver us to Hecate's vengeance," I say, while reading his mind furiously. "But, I understand you are not going to have us destroyed." I sense the reason. He does not want the goddess to know how immortals are effectively obliterated. Ah, I see it now; she is not a mind reader, so he is deceiving her. Good. There may be some hope in this hell we have walked into.

"So, if I can be so importune," I continue, "why are you helping her against your own kind?" I can feel my loathing for him growing by the minute, but I keep a tight rein on my emotions.

He knows I am reading him; therefore his answer is sincere, more or less. He, cutting the hypocrisy and the elaborate wording, is simply afraid of her. Among her powers, there is one that can affect wit or intelligence. Should Hecate wish it, she can make any one of his coven, or Aro himself, go mad and act without control. This could mean violence inside the coven, or exposure. Wit depriving could also become a total blackness of the mind, like a deep coma, or again, for humans, a compulsion to suicide. To living men she can also send terrifying visions, such as to provoke a stroke. Finally, she can inflict pain, but only to her host –namely to the unfortunate Italian politician who has summoned her, opening the gate between our two universes, a gate Aro is desperate to close, sending her back, if he can discover how.

I am sure now of what I will propose.

"I understand your quandary," I say, "and I do hope you succeed in stopping this nightmare. In the meanwhile you will deliver us to her. As she knows we are immortals and she does not know how we can be terminated, unless you tell her, then she will settle for the next best thing. An eternal coma that is like death. Am I right?" He confirms my words, and I go on.

"Then hear my offer. If you are able to close the gate, I suppose that her power on this world will finish, and we will awaken.

"If this happens**, if you make it happen, then myself and my sister Alice will become part of your coven, as you desire**. But there are conditions." He looks at me skeptically, how do we think we are in a position such as to impose conditions?

"If they are not met," I continue, playing my gambit, "**I will tell her myself how we can be destroyed,** because real death would be preferable. We have decided on this, so think carefully before you choose to deny us.

And here are our requests: First, you will not touch us; you will not read our minds until we awaken again. We go to our quasi-death with our privacy and dignity intact. Of course, if and when Alice and I become yours, you will be entitled to read us. Second, you will not tell Hecate about my wife and my daughter. They don't know what is happening to us, they don't know where we are and it is better this way. Third, the rest of my family will be allowed to go. My sister's husband Jasper will decide if he wishes to remain in Italy to be near her. And, finally, you will not ask us to change our diet. Is this acceptable for you?"

While I say this, I see in Alice's mind an image of Jasper's face. He has red eyes. I sense her despair. If he stays in Volterra he will not be able to abstain from human blood.

Aro and I stare at each other. On the outside I have on a mask, but inside I am in turmoil. A simple gesture to his warriors and I can be overpowered, so that he can touch me and learn about Venus' promise and the role we hope Bella will be able to play. The idea of touching me appeals to him. And I am bluffing; I don't think I can tell Hecate how to destroy vampires while she is in our world. But, fortunately, Aro is really terrified by the prospect of her learning it.

Predictably, we have to suffer the charade of a consultation between Aro and his brothers, so they are summoned and we are sent to wait in the ante chamber. Also predictably, Marcus and Caius play what in the modern world could be defined as the good cop/bad cop roles. But in the end Aro's will prevails, as usual. Their games make me sick.

Eventually, he solemnly promises to respect the conditions I posed. After all, it would be a win-win situation for him, getting rid of Hecate and possessing us. He is really excited by the idea of finally having Alice and me. I cannot bear the thought. Not only would I loathe myself for the things I would be forced to do, but I would also be forever without my Bella, as I could never bring her into this coven. Maybe staying forever in an Etruscan tomb is preferable. I grit my teeth; time to meet the Goddess.

The Hon. Valerio Donati, MP

I have called Parini and told him that I have urgent family business to attend to. I am stuck in Volterra and She surely will not allow me to leave, so nobody has to fucking guard me. I can exit the castle, walk nearby, buy newspapers, which I find less and less interesting. The bastard Baroni is still alive, by the way. I take my meals in the usual restaurant, and I get my coffee and croissants in my room every god damn morning. But now, I have become a vessel, a non-entity. When Aro speaks to me, in fact, he speaks to Her. And today we, yes we, are summoned again to the throne hall. There is a group of newcomers.

"Lady," Aro says, "here is the one you wanted and his coven." Her feelings of elation and rage fill my head as I look at them. Of course they are also vampires, and incredibly beautiful. One of them, blond and better than any Hollywood star, steps forward.

"I am indeed the one you wanted," he says in Latin, "I am Carlisle Cullen. Punish me as you wish, but let my family go."

His fucking 'family'… do vampires have families? Well, anyway, his comprises of a woman with caramel hair and a sweet face, a bronze haired youth, and two young women. One who is like a supermodel with long blond tresses, the other who is a little brunette with a pretty elfin face, either of which, I may have given my left arm for them to suck my dick if I didn't know they were vampires. Two more men complete the group; one is tall and blond, with pale scars on his handsome face, the last is a very big guy, who looks like a wrestler. I notice also that their eyes are not red –nobody here bothers to wear contact lenses anymore – but a dark honey color.

"No, today you all must die!" Hecate hisses through my mouth, but I feel her frustration. In fact, if they are undead, how can the sons of bitches die? Her rage is palpable.

"Lady," Aro intervenes hastily, "even if our kind cannot really die, might I suggest that you put them in a permanent sleep, dead to this world, in a tomb that will keep them forever under the earth." What an arrogant cocksucker, but she likes the idea.

Then things move swiftly. We all go into a courtyard with a gate opening on some back alley. In the courtyard, there is a bus with tinted windows. We troop in. Among the Volturi guards, there are two tiny vampires that look to be in their early teens. The Cullen family is surrounded by the guards, just in case. But, they look calm and resigned.

And so we go. A fucking group of vampires on a tourist trip. Ludicrous. We go up and down on Tuscany hills for a couple of hours, then the bus stops and we all get out and start walking on a barely visible trail. The sun is shining and I notice, oh Christ, that their faces and hands sparkle under the sun. They all look like they just fell out of a god damned diamond mine. Inhuman, really.

We all stop in front of a big stone, on the flank of a hill. Some of the guards remove the stone like it was plaster, but it is not, and a staircase plunging in the darkness below is revealed. I would prefer not to descend with them, but it is enough that I think it and the usual mind-numbing pain hits me. So down the stairs I go, following Aro, with Felix supporting me, because I see zilch. The godforsaken monsters see perfectly in the dark, evidently. Then, they light a pair of electric torches, a courtesy for me or for the demoness I host that has to use my eyes. I am no more than a pack mule. The tomb is sculpted, but bare of objects. If there were corpses here they must have turned to dust millennia ago.

"This was the tomb of relatives of mine," says Aro to Hecate," long since I have taken out all it contained before the tomb raiders could get at it. No, I will be honored if you will use it." What a suck up.

There are two burial chambers in this Etruscan tomb, each one with four stone beds. The members of the Cullen coven are made to recline on them. They offer no resistance. My arm rises independently from my will and I feel like a lightening is crossing it. Holy shit! I don't think it is possible to get used to such a thing. Their eyes are closed now, seven statues meant to sleep eternally on their beds of stone.

Hecate has had her revenge.

Chapter endnotes

And now, now, we need Bella. She is the only hope. While you wait for the next chapter, please send me a review.

A reader wrote to me that Stephenie Meyer herself said in an interview that Gianna was consumed. But of course Edward did not know and would not ask.


	9. Chapter 9 The Cougar

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla10**

Chapter 9 - The Cougar

The tomb in Tuscany

Edward

Darkness…fading. Faint light. Dreaming… her beloved face, my Bella... Other dreams… Somebody else's dreams intrude. Carlisle, Alice? I am floating. In fact I am floating over my body. I see it lying down on a bed of stone. I rise higher and higher to the vaulted ceiling of this…tomb, then I am outside, flying, flying ...

Now I am somewhere else. A beautiful place, nature pristine and intact. I crouch. No, I am not crouching, I am standing, standing on all fours. My right arm is a leg now, covered in a tan colored fur. My paw is armed with strong claws. I spin around, trying to see more. My powerful muscles flex and I find I can do movements that should be impossible for a man, or a vampire, at that. I turn my head halfway around. I have a tail. What else I can see of my body tells me it is the body of a big predatory cat, the very kind I used to hunt. And it feels just right.

I am not alone. There is a beautiful woman looking at me. I remember her from the confused memories of my other self, when I was a man turned immortal and she had manifested herself. She is Venus.

My mind clears a bit, but I am still confused. There are questions I should be asking, but I cannot speak. I want to know where I am, what I am, where is my body, where is my real self. She must hear my thoughts, albeit I cannot hear hers, because she answers.

"You are in my universe, undead one," she says, "I gave your spirit the strength to leave your entombed body and come here. You projected yourself into this form. Don't be surprised: in the past primitive men left their reality under the effect of some powerful brew and assumed the form of their totem, normally an animal that was important to them, or had their characteristics. In your world, you were a hunter and your favorite prey was the cougar. So now you are one."

I look behind me and I notice another group of animals, six of them, each one different from the other. Are they, could they be …my family?

But Venus speaks again. "Yes, they were also affected when I used my power to awaken your spirit. But, each one of them has its mate, while you don't. You have to find her and be my messenger. You cannot linger, because your spirit will return here very soon. You will awaken again, but shortly, and there are many things you must to tell her, so that she can start her quest. You will know what to say and what to show her, but you will not tell her anything else, you will not think of anything else. Go, find her. Use your love for her to get where she is. It is strong enough. Go!

I close my eyes and see my beloved. I can be with her again, at least for a while. A big wave of happiness washes over me. Everything is so simple in this form…

Yale

Bella

I suppose that there was a lesson, and I had sat for an hour apparently listening to it. The truth is that I didn't hear a word. I tried to figure out what had happened to me. Evidently, Alice had left me a message the last time she had visited us. She wanted me to find it when the course started, that is to say, after they had all disappeared.

She was subtle, my sister, and I needed to concentrate and see the different layers hidden under a single word, penned on a notebook that had looked untouched. If I was supposed to find that …that clue, only after they had left, it meant that I was not to know before, for some good reason. She, therefore, must have seen that my ignorance would have positive, not negative, effects. It was frustrating, but I trusted her, trusted them. Most likely, if I had known in advance the reason why they were going to disappear, I would not have consented to it. Only a terrible danger would have justified it, and I surely would have insisted that I shared the risks with them, with Edward. The short call I got from her after Edward had left was to avoid my panic and despair, and, in fact, it had worked. Now, if I was left … that could mean that I had a role to play. Sure, I had to find them.

So far, so good. She had also told me to wait until my course was clear. Now, what did I know of Hecate? The lesson had ended and I gathered my things and sped home. I was up for some computer research.

I googled the name and looked for information about this unpleasant deity. While I was reading, a memory slowly resurfaced. It was from my human life, dimmed like all of those memories were. Still, it was coming back to me.

We were all gathered in the Cullens living room in Forks, some weeks before Edward and I were married. Carlisle had spoken of Hecate. I had been sitting near Edward, his arms around me while his father reminisced, and I had been quite distracted. The impending marriage itself, the stress it represented, and what was going to happen afterward, the fulfilling of Edward's promise to make love to me while I was still human, those things were occupying my mind much more than Carlisle's words. I concentrated and slowly the essential elements came back. Carlisle had lived in Rome centuries ago, and he had discovered that an idol worshipping Cardinal and his acolytes were about to sacrifice a virgin to Hecate. He had intervened, interrupting the pagan rite and saving the victim. But, for a few minutes, the goddess had been summoned into this world, and had promised him her vengeance. It had been a terrifying moment, Carlisle had concluded, but the opening between the different universes had closed again, and he had hoped it remained so.

What if the connection had been re-established again, I mused, what if Hecate was again in our world, seeking revenge?

What if she had succeeded and Alice had seen it in advance?

What if…I blinked.

The transparent mountain lion who I had seen on my way to the classical studies' hall, was now sitting on my sofa. The feline's beautiful golden eyes were boring into mine. And then it spoke. In my mind, not in my ears. It was the velvet voice that had captivated me once and forever. Edward's.

"_Hi Bella"_ he said.

"Edward, where are you?"

"_In Italy, I think. At least my body is. I am lying in an Etruscan tomb, in total darkness. This is not really me; I am a…projection of my spirit. Listen, I have little time. I tried to make contact before, but I was drawn back. I have to tell you things. She wants me to. I am Venus' messenger. I'll show you, it's easier."_

……..

The cougar, no Cougward, had gone. I sat on the sofa where he had been, overwhelmed by the visions we had shared. Now I knew why they had left, why he had left. I had seen the goddess of love, more beautiful than words can say. She wanted me – me! – To restore the balance of the universe altered by her persecution of Psyche. That had happened eons ago, but in her timeless state it did not matter, evidently. And she wanted me – me! – To close the door between the ancient gods' world and my own. Hecate would then be forced back where she came from and her power on my universe would cease. My family would be freed. At least that was what I had understood. I remembered my feelings when I had my 'non-dream', sent by Venus herself, I had to believe at this point. I had felt connected with Psyche. She had gone questing to find her lover again, and even then I had suspected that the same was asked from me. Now I was sure.

And I had seen them with the Volturi; I had seen Edward making a terrible promise to Aro, that he and Alice would be his, if he managed to deliver them from the tomb that was waiting for them, the tomb where in fact, he was sending them now. I saw it and saw a human raising his arm and freezing them, corpses of stone. Was he a servant of Hecate?

But, where were they? How could I find them? And even if I managed, how would I awaken them? How could I counter the power of an evil goddess? In fact, I had been told it. I had to close the gate. I felt despair, for the impossibility of the task. She was, after all, a goddess! I needed help; I needed to know more…

The cougar appeared again, near the computer this time, but the image was getting fainter and fainter. And so was Edward's voice, barely a whisper

"_Bella, you have to find the entrance to the gods' world. You must find a way to Hades, the only way to close the gate lies in Hades. You…have... to go… there…"_

"Wait, wait, where is the gate?" I cried, but he was gone.

Where the hell was the gate, how could I find it?

And then, I thought, this nightmare had started in Rome, and the myth I was meant to replicate was a Latin myth.

So it was clear. I had to go to Rome.

Chapter endnotes

Introducing the concept of totemic animals I intend to do homage to another mythical world, that of the America's natives, such as the Quileutes.

The sprit projections of the rest of the Cullen family are not really essential to the story. Only Cougward is (do you like the name?). But once I got the idea, I could not refrain from imagining – with the help of Jshay - what animal form would each one of them project. Carlisle? Emmet (easy)? Rosalie?... So you will see them all in a later chapter. If you care to guess their forms and the reason for it, tell me in a review. Or send me a review anyway, please…

I have a story to recommend, complete: As AU as it could possibly be, tragic for a long time (Edward seems impossible to redeem - animal blood is not an option for vampires here) and still full of humor, it had me laughing aloud.

And then, eventually and surprisingly …. You'll see. The name is: And with Thee Fade Away by Derdriu oFaolain


	10. Chapter 10 The Gate

**Eros and Psyche by Camilla 10**

A/N This chapter is essential, but it could be difficult, unless you like riddle solving …

Chapter 10 - The Gate

Bella

I was in Rome, after a swift and uneventful flight. Before leaving Yale, I had devoted the last hours to hunting, because I did not know how soon I would have another opportunity in Rome. If Carlisle had found it difficult to feed here three centuries ago, I was sure it was going to be even more difficult now. I doubted that flocks still crossed the streets, as it had been the case in his time and I did not fancy going to the zoo…

I checked into a good hotel near the station, the Exedra, and went to buy some books and guides about Rome in a nearby bookseller. On the bookshop entrance, a stack of newspapers reported on the state funerals of some important politician. Nothing could interest me less. I went back to the hotel. It was a beautiful evening and I did not like the idea of spending it in my room, so I went to the terrace on the 7th floor, where there was a bar and a swimming pool. Once there, I occupied a table with my books and my laptop, since the hotel was wired, and prepared to work.

For a while I looked at the city surrounding me, at the many cupolas and palaces, and the Roman ruins just below me in the square. Would I be able to find the answer I was seeking? Fake-sipping the drink I had ordered and slowly watering a plant at my side with it, I admired the fountain in the middle of Piazza Esedra, where sensuous naiads were being showered by a lusty triton. Their expression of mindless bliss was mesmerizing.

OK, time to work. I picked one book, a guide to the mysteries and secrets of Rome. I looked at the index and I froze. Could it be so simple? Well, sometimes the simpler thing is the better option. A chapter was dedicated to the "_Porta Magica_". Oh God, could it be …

I switched on the laptop and googled the name. Oh yes indeed, there was a Magic Gateway in Rome! At least it was a place to start. Some minutes after I found myself breathless and unmoving, a marble statue, as realization downed on me.

_There could not be another Gate better than this. This MUST be the one I was looking for._

It went by different names also, the Hermetic Gate or the Alchemic Door. It originally led to the garden of the Marquis Massimiliano Palombara's Villa, built in the 17th century and now demolished. However, the gate remains were to be found inside a garden in the huge Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. It had been almost forgotten for a century, as an open air market filled the square and the relic was not accessible or even visible. Recently, however, the Municipality of Rome had moved the market somewhere else and created a garden in the square, so the gate was visible again.

There were a number of legends surrounding it, I read, many of them linked to the alchemists' dream of finding the philosopher's stone and fabricate gold from base metals. However, other legends spoke simply of the possibility to pass through the gate to another reality, just what I was looking for. The monument was surrounded by numerous symbols and inscriptions. **If you recited them in just the right order, unfortunately unknown, and pronounced them perfectly, you could get through the gate, **the legends said.

Many websites offered photos of the Hermetic Gate and the list of the inscriptions. They were in Latin with translations and explanations. I made a transcription of them in hopes that I could figure out the solution.

1. TRIA SUNT MIRABILIA DEUS ET HOMO MATER ET VIRGO TRINUS ET UNUS: Three are the wonders: God and man, mother and virgin, Trinity and unity. _Oh well, this was a classical Christian invocation before anything started, a prayer to ensure a favorable outcome. _

2. HORTI MAGICI INGRESSUM HESPERIUS CUSTODIT DRACO ET SINE ALCIDE COLCHICAS DELICIAS NON GUSTASSET JASON: The dragon of the West is keeping the gate to the magical garden, and, without Alcide (Heracles), Jason would never have enjoyed the delights of Colchis. Heracles represented willpower, needed for beginning the journey. _I certainly had it._

3. QUANDO IN TUA DOMO NIGRI CORVI PARTURIENT ALBAS COLUMBAS TUNC VOCABERIS SAPIENS: When in your house black ravens will father white doves, you will be called a wise man. From black to white, from darkness to light. The symbol designed was the one for Saturn, representing the primal matter. Chaos. _The chaos my life, my family's life had gotten into._

4. QUI SCIT CUMBURERE AQUA ET LAVARE IGNE FACIT DE TERRA COELUM ET DE COELO TERRAM PRETIOSAM: The one who knows how to burn with water and wash with fire will turn the earth into sky and the sky into a precious stone. Here there was the symbol of Mars, indicating the willingness to complete the task. _Again, I was more than willing…_

5. AZOT ET IGNIS DEALBANDO LATONAM VENIET SINE VESTE DIANA: Due to the purifying power of quicksilver and fire over matter, Diana will appear disrobed. The symbol was the one of the god Mercury (quicksilver), the gods' messenger. It meant clarity and the informed action. In this way Diana could be unveiled. _This is complicated. I need to think more about it._

6. DIAMETER SPHERAE THAU CIRCULI CRUX ORBIS NON ORBIS PROSUNT: _Uh, difficult_, _but yes_, they are the Hermetic words of knowledge, saying that the sphere's diameter, the circle's thau, the orbit's cross are useless to the blind. The symbol was Jupiter, corresponding to the intellect, the nous, the full illumination of the mind. _This is what I am striving for._

7. SI FECERIS VOLARE TERRAM SUPER CAPUT TUUM EIUS PENNIS AQUAS TORRENTUM CONVERTES IN PETRAM: If you made the earth fly above your head, you would change the torrent water into stone by using cock feathers. The symbol was Venus. Through love, what is unstable will become solid. _This was the goddess' promise I had been given._

8. FILIUS NOSTER MORTUUS VIVT REX AB IGNE REDIT ET CONIUGO GAUDET OCCULTO: Our dead son is living, and will come back as the king of fire and the beneficiary of the occult wedding. _Again this was something connected with a Christian prayer._

9. CENTRUM IN TRIGONO CENTRI: The center is in the triangle's center. The Holy Trinity and the Virgin. _Another Christian invocation here._

10. EST OPUS OCCULTUM VERI SOPHI APERIRE TERRAM UT GERMINET SALUTEM PRO POPULO: This is the secret task of the wise man to open the earth in order to sow the people's prosperity. _Oh yes, I had to go under the Earth, to the underworld, hadn't I?_

11. SI SEDES NON IS/SI NON SEDES IS: It was a palindrome sentence, it could be read from right and from left. In one case it meant that if you sat you would not proceed, in the other that if you would not sit you would proceed.

_Now, what was the right sequence for the inscriptions to be recited? _

I realized I was attracting attention, an unattached, good looking young woman with her computer. In minutes, I feared, somebody was going to speak to me, offer me another drink, whatever. Just what I needed. To avoid any hindrance in my plans, I retreated to my room. There, I dedicated my attention to solving the puzzle in front of me.

It was a long night, but at dawn I had made progress. The things that could be accomplished when one had no need for sleep!

It seemed to me that the inscriptions followed two different sets of beliefs. Number 1, 8 and 9 belonged to Christianity. I didn't know if the Marquis Palombara had added them in order to appease the Church, or if he had thought them necessary for religious reasons, but in any case, I was convinced they were not useful to get to the ancient gods' world. So n. 1, 8 and 9 were not to be recited.

Now I had to put the rest in a logical order. It came to my mind that what I was doing mirrored symbolically what Psyche had done in her quest. One of her challenges had been to put a huge pile of different grains in order, species by species, and she had managed it with the help of magical ants. I had only my vampiric brain cells and they would have to do.

The first thing I had to affirm was my intention to do this. So I would take the palindrome, number 11, and recite only the second part, _Si non sedes is._ I would not stay seated, I would go.

The rest already seemed to be in a logical sequence: 2- Heracles, strength and willpower, 3-Saturn, the chaos that had to be put in order, 4-Mars, meaning that I would not falter; I would complete the task whatever the price. 5-Mercury, the god's messenger, allowing for the informed action that would unveil Diana…Hang on, there had been a messenger who had set me on my course… it had been my beloved, it had been Cougward. What the inscription told me was that, through fire, Diana could be unveiled, laid bare, defeated, that is. Now, the hunter goddess was sometimes confused with Hecate… Hell, I had probably made a mistake, and the right sequence started with number 5, describing the reason for my quest. Therefore, the sequence was 5, 11, 2, 3 and 4. OK, fine. What next?

Jupiter and Venus were the next ones, but I believed that I had to put Venus first, and then introduce the gods' father as the final deity to be invoked, the one that Venus wanted to appease and ask for help, since Hecate was too strong for her alone. Therefore, 7 and 6. Then I would skip 8 and 9, as they referred to Christianity, and 10 would follow.

I had it! Or, better, I hoped I had it. I was all my family could count on. I would recite the sentences in the following order: 5, 11, 2, 3, 4, 7, 6 and10 .

It was dawn and the sun was coming out, albeit I could see in the distance dark grey clouds gathering... I could do nothing outside until night, so I decided to enlarge my research about the inscriptions. What if I had misunderstood something?

And by some miracle I found that there had existed another inscription, now destroyed. I stopped breathing, for a while. What if I had missed it? Here it was, number 12!

12. VILLAE IANUA TRANANDO RECLUDENS IASON OBTINET LOCUPLES VELLUS MEDEAE The translation here was not given, damn it. However, I knew enough to figure it out. Opening the gate would make the adept reach his goal, in the same way Jason managed to find the Golden Fleece. This was the descent to the underworld, said the explanation, that will allow to conquer. _Well, I was meant to go to the underworld to close the gate, wasn't I?_

I hoped that I had everything now.

Night came, and now it was raining, a real blessing. When I got to Piazza Vittorio, I found it deserted. Previously, in the afternoon, I had asked directions to the receptionist and he had warned me that, despite the garden being fenced and closed at night, it could be inhabited by junkies and drunks. But the rain had chased everybody away, or sent them under the protection of the square arcades. I ran at vampire speed, to make sure I was practically invisible, and I leapt over the fence.

The garden was not enormous and I found the Hermetic Gate easily. I stood in front of it, taking calming breaths. I had to do this properly. With a high and clear voice I recited:

(_**5). Azot et ignis dealbando Latonam venit sin veste Diana. **__**(11) Si non sedes is, (2) Horti magici ingressum hesperius custodit draco et sine Alcide colchicas delicias non gustasset Jason. (3) Quando in tua domo nigri corvi parturient albas columbas tunc vocaberis sapiens. (4) Qui scit comburere aqua et lavare igne facit de terra coelum et de coelo terram pretiosam. (7) Si feceris volare terram super caput tuum eius pennis aquas torrentum convertes in petram. (6) Diameter spherae thau circuli crux orbis non orbis prosunt. (10) Est opus occultum veru sophi aperire terram ut germinet salute pro populo, (12) Villae ianua tranando recludens Iason obtinet locuples vellus Medeae.**_

An instinct compelled me to do a final gesture. I touched the symbol of Venus on the right side of the Gate. _So help me now, Goddess of love_. Had I done it right? Would the gate open for me?

Chapter endnotes

Yes, _la Porta Magica_ is still standing, I did not invent it…

It needed lot of reasoning to find the riddle's solution. Just to be safe, in case you happen to be in Piazza Vittorio in Rome, please don't recite the above…

And please, tell me what you think. Too boring, with all this Latin? Well, in the next chapters there will be some action, I promise…


	11. Chapter 11 Hades

**Eros and Psyche, by Camilla 10**

Chapter 11 - Hades

Bella

With the distinct feeling of being Harry Potter looking for platform nine and three quarters, I hurled myself on the gate's center.

I passed through the stone and fell down. It was a small jump, but when I landed on my feet I felt the shock of it and some pain. _Am I still a vampire here?_ I wondered. I looked around me and was confused. Everything had an unreal quality, as the unfamiliar landscape was blurry and gray. Only near me I could dimly perceive colors. My eyes, vampire or human ones, were not good enough to take in the ancient gods' world.

In the distance, I could see the shape of a mountain. Could that be the Olympus? Maybe, but it was not my destination. To find a way to close the gate I had to look for it in Hades, That much I had been told by Venus through her messenger. Well, Hades is wherever your life ends, my mind told me. It was a grim thought, but it made perfect sense. Psyche had thought the same.

It was not important where it was, I eventually would find access, of that I was sure. I ran, leaving the gate I had passed through far behind... After a while, my muscles ached, then my right flank. Decidedly, I did not have my vampire powers here. Christ, my heart was beating. Beating unevenly. At least I was not the clumsy human I had been, because I did not trip over my feet. Unable to run anymore, I walked.

I passed some woodland and, after quite a long time, I found myself on the edge of a cliff. I had been walking on a plateau, evidently. I looked down the cliff. At the bottom end, but far away, I could dimly see a river, a silver gray ribbon on a darker gray landscape. But immediately under the cliff, I saw a raging fire, fiery red flames spiraling upward.

I knew then that I had reached my destination. Yes, the only way to go in Hades was death. This Alice must not have seen, surely this world was closed to her visions. The flames or the fall, both would ensure that I died, whether I was human or vampire here.

What had been the final test for Psyche? To find her lost lover, she too had to go to Pluto's kingdom. She had also thought that death was the only way, and willingly she had tried to jump from a tower, but at the end she was saved, the tower itself telling her of an alternative way. _Will somebody tell me? Will Venus come?_ I waited.

I waited, I waited. …Nobody came to suggest alternatives. I remembered the initial inscription I had recited. _Through fire Hecate would be defeated…_

_So here is where I die. I am sure that the moment I die, the gate will close, sucking the evil goddess inside. And they will be free. And he will be free. Too near Volterra, damn him, he will not take it well if I die. He will try to do something terrible, and I will not be able to stop him this time. Maybe Alice will, but I don't know. I don't know if this is the right way, I don't know anything more, but I have to try, he cannot stay entombed forever, Hecate cannot roam my world to tease and destroy…_

I was poised at the precipice's edge. _My love, my beloved, how can I go down and not see you anymore, nor feel your strong arms around me, nor taste your lips…_

I steeled myself before I collapsed in fear and longing and took a step forward.

From behind the trees, a powerful golden creature erupted. My cougar. Edward. With a graceful leap, he was at my side as we both plunged into the abyss.

Flames were about to engulf us, death was coming.

No.

I felt a cool wind refresh my body, and carry me slowly downward, until I landed softly on grass. Intact, alive. I dared to open my eyes and the fire was gone. The cougar was sitting at my side, belly down in the classical sphinx posture. He was looking at Venus.

She smiled. _"Amor vincit omnia," _she said. Love conquers all. "You did well, my children," she added, "and now you have earned what you were looking for. I will tell Jupiter that, with your help and through your love, I have restored the balance. What I did to my son and to Psyche has been redressed. To close the gate, I will ask Jupiter to add his strength to mine. Wait for me here, it will take some time, but do not wander around. The river you see down there is the Styx, your nature forbids you to cross it, and you surely do not wish it."

She disappeared. I looked at the glorious animal resting at my side. My love had chosen to come with me, if death was my destiny. I caressed his fur and he arched his back under my hand. It was warm and solid; Cougward had a real body, here. He stood up and circled around me, giving me small pushes with his flanks.

Even before I could worry about it, I realized that the dull ache in my throat, my constant companion since I became a vampire, had gone. There was no thirst in this world. Due to Renee's allergies, I never had a cat, but, apart from the size of the mountain lion, I was reminded of times when, still a little girl, I had played with a big tabby owned by a neighbor. I scratched his head and his beautiful golden eyes became two slits. He radiated happiness. "Give me the velvet paw," I said playfully, reminding him to be gentle with his claws, and he set his furry paw on my shoulder, claws retracted. I touched his wet nose with mine, then he rested his big head on my lap, asking to be scratched. I complied and he seemed to like this a lot, because he went down on his back, offering his belly to more scratching. A rumbling purr resonated from his throat.

Here in this world, Cougward did not speak into my mind, he was no longer a messenger, just a cat, a very big cat, who loved me and had jumped with me into Hades, so that I would not die alone. Eventually, he curled up around me and I decided to lie down too, feeling so very tired. I rested my head on his warm flank and looked toward the invisible sky. His purring lulled me, after a while I closed my eyes and, since here it was possible, I slept.

I awoke under Venus gaze. She held two small copper objects in her rosy hands. "Jupiter is very pleased, she said, he has forgiven me and he too wants the gate closed, our time in your world ended long ago. Hecate is a goddess much older than us; she does not belong to the Olympus. So she is spiteful and makes mischief. Time to end her games. "Here, take this," she said, joining the two pieces she held. One was her own symbol, the circle with the cross pointing downward, the other was a thunderbolt. She passed the thunderbolt inside the circle and gave them to me. The two symbols stayed together, like two magnets. I took them from her hand.

"It is time for you to leave Pluto's kingdom, undead woman," Venus said. "The wind which cooled and saved you and your cat from the fire, and brought you here, will take you to the plateau again. When you are there, do not linger, reach the gate and when you are outside, use the key I have given you to close it. All will be well."

And Zephyr came again, as he had come for Psyche, and we flew on his wings out of the abyss.

It felt more and more like a dream as I walked in the direction from which I came, my cougar walking with me. And then I saw them.

A majestic deer, with its doe at its side. A proud horse, fit to carry a Confederate officer. It had a black squirrel perched on its back. And, finally, an enormous grizzly with a beautiful white Persian cat draped around its neck…..my family, or better the animal forms they had projected when Edward projected his. Venus' power had affected all of them, but their projections had remained here, because they were together, while Edward's had reached out to his mate, me, in the universe of men.

They approached. "I'll see you all on the other side," I promised. "I love you so much." The raspy, hot tongue of the cougar licked my hand. He remained with them, while I continued to walk without turning. I could not bear to see them vanish, returning to their stunned bodies in the Etruscan tomb.

When I finally reached the gate, I could see through it, as it was transparent, like glass. On the other side, the garden was visible. I placed my palm on the glass, and it did not encounter any resistance. My hand just traversed it. It was time to return to my world. Grasping tight Venus' copper gift, I leapt through, and I was on the other side, in the gardens of Piazza Vittorio. Behind me, the Hermetic Gate seemed solid like the first time I saw it, but I knew it was still open.

Now what did I have to do? Certainly this was not a key in the proper sense. I looked again intently at the copper circle with the cross at its bottom and the thunderbolt crossing it... What was the most logical thing now? Well, thunderbolts were meant to be thrown. I retreated a few steps and took the thunderbolt by the tip, like a knife thrower, then, flicking my wrist, I aimed at the center of the gate.

It struck right on my mark and there was a searing light followed by a tremendous rumble. Jupiter's bolts were awesome, even for my kind. I was blinded and passed out.

Chapter endnotes

Copper, of course, is Venus' metal.

Sigh, I am a cat lover and it shows … Now I explain about the other animal forms: Carlisle found his spiritual salvation with the first deer he took down, so a deer is his totem. Esme can only be his companion female deer, so sweet. (You can picture Bambi's mother here). Emmett is obviously a grizzly (his foe and favorite prey), and vanity prone Rosalie is a Persian cat, elegant, beautiful and vanity prone as well. (A totem can be your prey, but also an animal which resembles you). Jasper and Alice were more difficult, but I thought of him having been a Confederate officer, something that defined him, and he must have had a beautiful mount. Alice is a squirrel … this was Jshay' idea and I went with her. Squirrels are always moving, very alert, and very small… Of course those are my ideas, yours are valid also. We are not in Canon here!

Chapter 10 was boring, obviously … no reviews … but now … come on, review! Anyone who reviews will find Cougward curled up on her bed, purring…


	12. Chapter 12 Order restored

**Eros and Psyche by Camilla10**

Chapter 12 - Order restored

Rome, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele

Bella

I awakened to a face looking at me. He was a disheveled older guy, stinking to high heaven. Among his variety of unsavory odors, alcohol played the main role. He had a dirty hand on my shoulder, I did not know with what intention; in any case, I had no time for him. It had stopped raining, so all sorts of low-lives would be coming back to the garden. To get rid of him, I decided to play scary Bella. I rose to my feet and bared my teeth at him, growling. It never failed. He scuttled away. I ran to the iron fence and leaped over it. I was not concerned about exposure. First of all, he was drunk, and secondly, it was very unlikely he was going to report me.

It was morning already and I was lucky that the sky was still overcast. I wondered how long I had spent in the ancient gods' universe and if, as it had happened to Rip Van Winkle, a century had passed while I was in the otherworld. For a while, this morbid thought panicked me, but it was not the case. Indeed it was just the morning after, as I could see on the newspapers displayed over a just opened newsstand. I walked at a brisk human pace to Piazza Esedra and the hotel.

Once in my room, I packed in seconds and went to check out. I was not allowing myself any time to think. I had to believe that I had succeeded, that the gate had closed, drawing Hecate inside, and that her power over my universe had gone also. Should it not be so, I had no idea of what to do, so it was better not to think about it. He must be awakening, they all must be awakening, and surely they should be able to come out of the tomb very soon. The only thing I could do was to try and be as near as possible to that place, hoping to find them, or that they would find me.

Fine, I knew they were in Tuscany, and in an Etruscan area. That ancient population had settled mostly on the western side of the region, not exactly on the sea, but not far from it either. It was a place to start. I walked to a car rental on the Termini Station's side and rented an 8-seat minivan. Looking at the map they had given me, I chose to drive North, using the highway till Civitavecchia, and then the Aurelia road. While driving, I was aware of the growing burn in my throat. On that other world, I had not been thirsty at all, but now the thirst was back with a vengeance. I needed to hunt very soon, something not exactly easy in this highly populated country. The idea of resorting to some domestic animal was really unappealing, and risky. When I was approaching the port of Civitavecchia, a side exit indicated "Monti della Tolfa", a mountain area. I left the highway and drove towards the mountains and the distant town of Tolfa. After a while, I turned on a dirt road winding toward some woodland uphill. I parked and ran to the tree cover. Less than an hour later, I was back to the car, rather pleased with myself. Boars had been plentiful and, since they are not very big animals, I had taken down three of them. They were a new prey for me and tasty, being omnivores, not herbivores.

My cell phone rang showing an unknown Italian number on the display.

A voice, not the one I hoped for, but good enough: Carlisle.

"Bella, where are you?"

"I am near Civitavecchia and the Aurelia road," I answered. "Are you OK, are you free? I managed to close the Gate. Where are you, where is Edward?"

"He is with us, we are all fine, don't worry," he answered. "I am using a payphone, of all things, and I have to make this short. We are providing this week's entertainment for the locals in a bar. All together, we are somewhat conspicuous. And thank God for the weather. We should move, but we are on foot somewhere near Sovana. Our car has remained in Volterra, and we have no luggage, only our wallets and our dead cell phones."

I was frantically looking at the map, while wondering why it was not Edward who had called me. I decided to overlook the issue, but I could not avoid experiencing a strong pang of unease.

"Listen Bella," Carlisle continued, "Alice has seen that we are going to meet each other in a place called Saturnia. It is a spa, and there must be a good hotel there. It should have rooms for us."

"Sovana and Saturnia are not far from each other," I answered looking at the map, "but they are not connected directly by any road. You could cross the mountain in between, so you can probably go fast and unseen."

"Alice saw us meeting near a waterfall in Saturnia. It should normally be full of people, but it is not the week-end and today it is raining. Let's go there." Carlisle concluded.

I drove as fast as I could without attracting police attention. Indeed, it was raining again. After Montalto, I took a secondary road, practically deserted, and eventually I reached Saturnia. I found the _Hotel delle Terme_ and reserved four rooms, then, I went to look for the waterfall. It was easy, as there were road signals directing to the _cascata._

And they were already there. All of them. Edward. I parked casually on the open ground in front of a restaurant, the only building near the waterfall, and ran to them.

"Bella, you did it, you did it!" Alice cried running to me. We took turns hugging, everybody speaking at the same time. But he was not speaking, and he was not embracing me. I did and I felt him wince, ever so slightly. Still, his arms encircled me and his mouth paused briefly on my hair. But something was obviously very wrong. I noticed Carlisle had noticed, but he asked everyone to calm down, he needed to make a call.

"Bella," he asked, "please lend me your cell phone." I passed it to him.

"Aro, this is Carlisle speaking," when he got him on the line, he spoke without emotion, "since I am calling, you surely understand that I am awake and free, with my family. You will be pleased to know that Hecate is back in her universe, and the gate has been closed. No thanks to you, I must add. It was my daughter Bella, who did it. Now I want you to recall exactly what Edward promised. He said that if you were able to close the gate and set us free, he and Alice would join your coven. But this has not been the case, you will honorably admit. So they don't owe anything to you. On the contrary, you delivered us to the dark goddess, to be dead forever to this world. …. Yes, let's call this quits. Yes, we are all going back to the States. Fine then, until we meet again…"

He disconnected and gave me back my cell phone.

"Never again, hopefully," he said, "Albeit, I am not prepared to bet on it. But for the moment, I think we are safe. Aro sounded pleased and frustrated at the same time, but relief is possibly his strongest feeling. And he knows that Bella's shield will protect us, and there is no Hecate around to stun us."

I did not even look at the waterfall behind us. I was looking at Edward, but he mostly kept his eyes averted. We were attracting attention. Some people had exited the restaurant, and were looking at us curiously. Yes, we were conspicuous, too pale, too good looking, obviously foreign and too tall for Italy, apart from Alice and me.

"Now let's go to the hotel, we have to arrange our return flight." I proposed, noticing that they had some bags with them. Incredible Alice, she had found the time to go shopping. She noticed my look and said "well, Aro's relatives' tomb did not have a nice smell. How could we check into a luxury hotel with no luggage and musty garments?. And we cannot look like tramps, can we? There was a sort of mall near Sovana, and I took what I could. Not very good quality, though. It will all go in the garbage as soon as we are back."

We entered the van and I drove to the hotel.

Rome, the Salvi Donati Palace

The Hon. Valerio Donati, MP

I woke up late this morning, and I felt incredibly lighter. She was gone; the demoness who possessed me had gone! I had lived the last few days in fear, because, despite the fact that I had done what Hecate had asked of me, she was still inside my head, brooding. My request had been satisfied, however. Mario Baroni had finally kicked the bucket; big to do in the Senate, queues of people around the coffin, State funerals, all that was to be expected. She allowed me to go to the ceremony, but nothing else. TV and newspapers have been full of speculations about what would happen to my party now, and I should have been doing a lot of things, preparing my coming back, but I was not allowed to go anywhere, till She decided what she wanted to do next.

Not anymore. I am free of the bitch now, I know I am, and I can plan my future, much brighter than, when? Rather a short time ago in fact, but it seems that a century has passed since I was here getting drunk and making an inventory. The fucking statue is still here, but I'll get rid of it, I'll smash it in pieces and throw it into the Tiber. Its muddy bed must be full of unwanted objects, discarded as centuries went by. I definitely will not sell it. In fact, maybe I'll not need to sell anything; maybe now that I have a political future again, the banks will be lenient…

I wonder vaguely about the destiny of the beautiful monsters I helped bury in an Etruscan tomb. I remember the power flowing from my arm, stunning them. Did they awaken when Hecate left? Are they free also? With their unnatural strength, were they able to remove the stone sealing their tomb and run away? Will they stay in Italy or go back where they came from? I hope so. Or maybe they are still buried. Well I, for one, will not be bothered about it…

Some hours pass while I muse. Well, I am allowed some goddamn recovery time, am I not? Now it is already late evening, and I can't do anything, but tomorrow I will come into my own. I must arrange for some interviews… I call my assistant, and make a date with him tomorrow morning. At Baroni's funeral he asked me what I was planning to do and I stalled again. Now, I have work for him.

I am fucking hungry and the fridge is empty. I don't feel like going out. Let me order some food…I had a leaflet somewhere…Yes, Chinese, why not?

The doorbell rings. Oh, that was fast! I open the door and my legs become jelly. There are two vampires on my doorstep. The big one, Felix, and Fiammetta.

She speaks with her musical voice, "Aro sends his greetings and his apologies. We have a rule, you see. No human can know that we exist and go on living. He is very sorry, but no exceptions are allowed. So he gave you to me."

I try to retreat, but she catches me easily, and now she is carrying me toward my bedroom. Don't worry, she says, kissing my neck, I'll make it as pleasurable as I can……."

Chapter notes

Well, the Hon. Donati had it coming. The moment Aro received Carlisle's call, he decided to put his house in order, so to speak…. Good bye Valerio, sorry.

In the next chapter, we'll have Guiltward in all his glory. Please stay with me and review.


	13. Chapter 13 The waterfall

**Eros and Psyche****, by Camilla10**

Chapter 13 – The waterfall

Bella

After we had checked in at the hotel, we all went into Carlisle and Esme's room to tell each other of our adventures. I learned more of what had happened in Volterra. Of the terrible promise to join the Volturi, I already knew. Just thinking about it in retrospect filled me with horror.

"But I had seen you in Piazza Vittorio, so before giving ourselves to Aro, I knew that there was some hope still," Alice said, having read my expression. I described the way I had worked out the sequence that I had recited in front of the Hermetic Gate. My reasoning was much admired, to the point of embarrassing me thoroughly. If I could still blush, I would have been the color of a tomato.

"Sis, how did you manage to get into Hades?" asked Emmet. "She decided to die for it." Edward answered tersely, before I could find something less dramatic to say.

"Yes, and you came with me," I retorted, but he did not add anything else. I sensed his anger, clearly directed at himself, not at me. He was standing near my chair, a hand lightly posed on my shoulder, and yet I felt that it was something he was doing it for the sake of normalcy, for the others to see, not for himself. He was as tight as a coiled spring, and his discomfort was palpable not only to me, but certainly to Jasper and maybe to the others.

"Bella," said Carlisle, almost formally, "there is no doubt that you saved us all. Once again, I bless the day you chose to be part of our family."

Shortly afterwards, the impromptu meeting came to a close. It was evident that all the couples wanted some private time, and knowing it, I had chosen rooms that were far from each other, on different floors and sides. I also had looked forward to the moment I would be alone with Edward. Now, however, I was dreading it. I promised everybody to show them tomorrow the very good hunting place I had discovered, and we separated.

When we were finally together in our room, my fears were confirmed. Edward had found some classic music station on the radio and was stretched out on the bed, unmoving, eyes closed. He was still in a dark mood, and I hated to see him this way.

I was not going to accept it; we needed to speak, but maybe not here...

"Edward, I cannot stay cooped up inside," I said "I want to go back to the waterfall. I have barely seen it. Please come with me." He rose without speaking and followed me out of the room, through the lobby and outside. It was past midnight and there was nobody around. "Let's make a run for it," I proposed, and so we took the risk to run as fast as we can run. It took almost no time, a minute or two. The restaurant was closed and the afternoon rain had sent everybody away. In any case, a wooden poster advised that it was forbidden to bathe at night, probably because in the darkness people could slip and get injured, and the municipality did not want to be liable. Well, that would not deter us.

The rain had stopped now and the clouds had broken, so that the moonlight bathed everything in its soft luminescence. Tendrils of vapor from the hot water spiraled toward the sky. From the ruin of an ancient mill on the hilltop, the water fell down once and then fragmented in many tiny waterfalls, each one filling a different stone basin and cascading on to the next, till it reached the bottom forming a pond and then flowing downhill again. It was beautiful. I took Edward's hand in mine. He let me, but it was almost nerveless, limp. It made me feel helpless for him to be this way.

I forbade myself to be crushed by it. "Let's go in" I proposed. The strong smell of sulfur I had felt on arriving had abated in minutes as I got used to it. I laid my jeans, shirt and jacket on a dry rock, and in my underwear, I leapt to the top. For a while, I stood under the higher waterfall, delighting in the hot water washing over my body. I was alone, though. I looked for Edward but … where was he? He was not visible. However, his garments were neatly laid on the same rock I had put mine. I looked at the expanse of stone basins, some of them shallow, some deeper and I started to descend, looking around until I found him. He was lying flat underwater in one of the basins, eyes shut, marble on stone.

My love, my husband, my stupid vampire on a guilt trip. And just when I was feeling so well, and we could be so happy.

No, not again. This time I was not going to allow it! How could he not know that I would understand? The decisions he had made were only to protect us, me, his family. It had been an uncharted territory, for us to come up against something so evil and powerful that only by accepting the help, and the orders, of another powerful goddess we had gotten our chance.

This basin was big enough for me to get in as well, so I did. I knelt astride his legs and put my hands under his armpits, pulling him up until he was sitting. He did not resist, completely passive, but at least he resumed breathing. "Edward, look at me," I said fiercely. His eyes opened, two deep dark pools. Obviously he needed to hunt. Well, tomorrow. I took his face in my palms, "Darling, please, speak to me, I can't bear it if you don't..." I said.

He gulped twice. "I left you," he murmured.

"No, you didn't," I exclaimed. "I have total recall, as you know. You said 'I am not leaving you but I have to go'. I believed you, so I just thought that something terrible must have happened, forcing you to leave against your will. And then I discovered that the whole family had disappeared too. It was awful, but I never doubted that you loved me. If you think that I lived through a repetition of what happened after my 18th birthday, then please think again, because this was not the same at all. It was a mystery, and I concentrated on solving it. And then you came to guide me. You were there with me," I could not help smiling, thinking of Cougward, "you leaped into Hades with me."

Silence for a while, then "I lied to you," he said.

"Yes," I agreed, "and you are a good liar, aren't you? I thank God for that. Were you not, or if you had not lied to me, I would have gone with you, and now we all would still be immured in that tomb. You did the right thing, Edward. Please acknowledge it."

Since he was not answering, his body rigid, hands balled into fists, I got angry. "Look! My shield is down. Now please read me and tell me if you see something different from what I am telling you?"I recalled in my mind what had happened, I recalled my non-dream, the confusion I felt, then my other visions, then my trip to Italy, determined to accomplish what was needed. What had happened after I had crossed the Hermetic Gate he already knew, as he had been there with me in his animal form. There had never been a moment when I had felt betrayed, though, not a moment when I had doubted him. I had been anguished, to be sure, but for him, not because of him. I only longed to save him and hoped to be with him again. At one point I had even renounced that hope, but he had not left me alone with my choice.

Slowly, he unclenched his fists, his body relaxing. He opened his mouth, but I prevented him. "If you dare to say 'I am sorry' I am going to bite you. Kiss me instead," I commanded.

And he did, gathering me to his chest. It felt like coming home. After a while he whispered "I thought I had lost you forever, that I would never see you again." Oh my poor Edward. It had been a terrible trial for him, accepting a near death with the prospect, if he awakened, of becoming a tool for the Volturi. I peppered his eyes, his nose, his neck, his Adam's apple with kisses…. I felt lighter, playful now. "When you were a mountain lion," I said, "you were so happy. You purred, you gave me the 'velvet paw', and you wanted your belly scratched… I liked it a lot. And I was not thirsty on the other side of the gate."

He laughed softly, "you love animals far too much, my Bella…"

"Maybe Cougward was happy because he was a projection of pure love." I mused, "And so you did not carry all your burdens in that form, only love." "Cougward, you say?" The sound of his laugh was a balm for my ears.. and for my spirit.

Burdens or not, Edward was here. I had not lost him and I felt that he was getting better by the minute. He was kissing me again while I played with his wet locks.

For a while, I rested my cheek on his breast, above his still heart." I love you so much," I murmured against his skin.

"I belong to you completely, body and spirit," he answered me.

"I know, I said, kissing him again. "I never doubted you and never will."

I untangled my hands from his hair and started worshipping him, at least the parts I could reach, caressing his magnificent chest, lingering on his small hard nipples. I pinched them, and he moaned. I licked them and they hardened more. Underwater, I felt something else harden. A red bolt of desire hit me, not to be denied. I plunged my hands into the tub, feeling around until I found the waistband of his shorts... "You are far too over-dressed still, my love," I said, "May I…?"

"Only if I can do the same," he breathed in my ear and I felt a tremor run through his body. This was my beautiful Eros, not made of marble anymore, his flesh warm against mine.

Underwear disposed of, we tore at each other furiously, having no time for anything non basic. His strong hands lifted me and then set me down on top of his hard manhood. Finally, finally, he was where he belonged. He took his pleasure forcefully and rather fast, but I did not mind, if it was what he needed. It seemed that with his physical release, he was also releasing the guilt he had been holding. After a while he grinned, "Sorry, that was rather selfish…OK, let's call this the fast tub, now we must find the slow tub." He slid backwards into the basin immediately under the one we were in, carrying me with him, splashing water everywhere. This one eventually proved worthy of being called the slow tub. As the night progressed, we explored the other basins, making them earn naughtier and naughtier names as our desires dictated. We made love to each other until dawn.

Now we were just resting, enjoying the water's warmth, floating lazily shoulder to shoulder, my arm around his waist, his around mine.

"Bella," he said, "when you stopped me so effectively earlier, I wasn't about to say that I was sorry."

"No?" I asked, skeptically.

"No," he answered, putting me upright so that here, in the pool under the waterfall, the water reached my shoulders, where he rested his hands, looking at me intently. "I was about to say that I am in awe of you."

"Oh come on." I tried to shush him.

"No, let me say it," he insisted, "You are resourceful, brilliant and totally fearless. Indeed you saved us all, and it is not the first time. And what did I see in your mind? Only concern for me. It is true, I have been wallowing in guilt, but I understand now that I was wrong. It was another way of putting myself first. I should have had faith in your faith. I already know how special you are, how strong, how loving. And now, I think that I can be humble enough and assured enough to accept it, and tell you once more that I am all yours, flaws, issues and everything. But you know that already."

"Forever," I smiled at him, too moved to say anything more.

"Forever," he agreed, adding a tender kiss.

The sky lightened, the moon had gone away. From the distant main road, we heard a car passing. Time to go back, time to leave this enchanting place we had made eternally ours. The thermal waters were supposed to have healing properties, and they did their work, not for our immortal bodies, but for our souls. His had felt bruised and that had affected me also, but now they were whole again.

We could not find our discarded underwear, so we just put our pants and shirts on our wet bodies and walked back to the hotel, to our family and our future.

Edward laughed. "You know what my love?" he asked, "We must shower and change. Thank God that Alice shopped. We stink of sulfur quite a lot. The others will think that we have spent the night in hell, otherwise."

"In heaven, rather," I contradicted him.

**Fine**

End notes

So, what could be the names of the other tubs? There was the fast tub, and the slow tub. The others earned naughtier names, says Bella, as the night progressed… Care to be naughty as well, and suggest some names? I'll answer your suggestions and reviews. If you have read this, and never sent me a line, please do it know , tell me how you liked my story…

He have another short multi chaptered one to post then I am back to writing The Parachutist sequel. I am not progressing much. Real life has been hard: I have lost a beloved mother in law, the Resistance heroine quoted in the parachutist. However, I'll become a granny at Christmas, hopefully. So for a life that goes there is another one coming.

Many thanks to all who read and reviewed and, if you come to Rome, be sure to have an Eros and Psyche tour; all the places I named are there…well, barring the Salvi Donati Palace, which I invented. But Palazzo Altieri, in Piazza del Gesù, looks a lot like it. It has arcades, where Carlisle could have sat reading, out of the sunlight….


End file.
